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30 March 2026
New apprenticeship data released today by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) reveals efforts to fill the national housing and construction workforce shortage were under pressure, even before the impacts of the conflict in the Middle East.
Today’s data shows that just 109,900 construction apprentices were in training at the end of September 2025. This is the weakest result the industry has seen in over four years despite additional funding through the Key Apprentice Program. These figures have been influenced by a decline in the number of new apprentices starting out. Over the year to September 2025, there was a 6.9 per cent reduction in the number of new apprentices, with an increase in successful completions.
This result reinforces that more support, not less needs to be provided through VET career support, additional funding including for mature aged apprentices and Group Training Organisations, and an expanding of Fee-Free TAFE to Not for Profit Registered Training Organisations.
Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn stressed that at a time the industry needs more workers, more apprentices and more builders, we can’t afford to go even further backwards as a result of the current global instability.
“As margins are squeezed, we don’t want to see apprentices benched. The Government must learn the lessons from COVID and be ready to move with support to keep apprentices on the job. If we are to plug the worker deficit in construction labour, retaining and growing our apprentice workforce is essential,” Ms Wawn said.
These latest NCVER figures and the recent instability has reaffirmed the need to get the federal budget right. Master Builders Australia’s Pre-Budget Submission advocates for a set of workforce measures:
- Implementation of Stage-Based Retention and Completion Incentive to encourage retainment and decrease early exits
- Ending the ‘sieve’ effect by embedding entry and exit points within an apprenticeship by endorsing micro credentials to support skill accumulation and re-entry into the industry
- Expanding Fee-Free Vocational Education and Training access currently offered by TAFE to not-for-profit Registered Training Organisations, who deliver better completion rates
- Extend the $10,000 incentive Key Apprenticeship Program and expand its eligibility to include civil and commercial builders
- Extend the Group Training Organisation Reimbursement Program for at least 12 months beyond its April 2026
- Include Tradies in the priority 1 skilled migration visa pathway, expand the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) program and introduce a dedicated Construction Skills Pathway visa.
“The Federal Government’s efforts to date have been appreciated however, we are still far from where we need to be to meet the housing, Olympic and infrastructure demands of the next decade. This data, and the events of recent weeks, reaffirm the need to adjust these policy settings.”
Media contact: Dylan Hafey, Media Advisor
0497 330 064 | dylan.hafey@masterbuilders.com.au