ENTERING THE INDUSTRY—CONSTRUCTION WA
There’s no single way to gain employment in WA’s construction industry. Much depends on who you are, your age, your
qualifications and your experience. Here are a few suggestions.
School leavers
If you’re still at school and anticipating leaving at the end of Year 11 or 12, the following could help you gain employment in the construction
industry
Trades
+ Schools2Skills Cert II in Building and Construction Trades Pathway qualification
+ Networks—Do you know any construction tradespeople?
+ Pre-Apprenticeship
Para-Professional (Estimating, Scheduling, Residential Drafting....)
+ Schools2Skills Cert II Building & Construction Para-professional Pathway qualification
+ Cert IV studies—see the Career Centre (careercentre.dtwd.wa.gov.au). for more information
Professional (Architecture, Project Management, Civil Engineering....)
+ Make sure you’re doing the correct mix of Yr 11 & 12 subjects for the course of your choice and for the ATAR you need as minimum entry
Career changers and mature age workers
If you already have a background in a skilled area or you have been out of the workforce for a period of time, it is worth a visit to the Career
Centre website. There are some great tools there to help you choose training pathways to assist in your plan to change careers or re-enter
the workforce.
If you have skills that are not formally recognised as part of a qualification, you can investigate Skills Assessment or Recognition of Prior
Learning (RPL). The Career Centre can provide advice on where and how you can connect with this process. Depending on your work
history, the Construction Training Fund (bcitf.org) can provide you with a rebate of up to $400 if you successfully complete the RPL
process.
Occupational Licensing
There are a number of occupations across construction sectors that require licensing. High-risk occupations such as rigging, scaffolding,
mobile plant operations and forklift operation require training and/or assessment prior to the issue of a licence. For up to date information on
occupational licence requirements in WA’s construction industry, search “Worksafe WA”.
Search “building commission WA for information about licensing, and/or registration for construction occupations including Builder,
Plumber and Painter. Search “energy safety WA” for information about licensing to practice as an Electrician in WA.
Other tips
+ Update your resume
+ Keep track of job vacancy advertisements
+ Networks—do you know anyone connected to construction?
+ Full or part-time training (Short course, Pre-Apprenticeship, Cert IV studies....)
+ Find out about the key employers in the field you would like to enter—contact a few and ask about opportunities that may be available
People seeking to emigrate to Australia
If you are seeking to migrate to Australia for skilled work in WA’s construction industry, here are a few suggestions to help you research your
options.
+ Department of Immigration (immi.gov.au) - contains information about skilled visas, living in Australia, and other entry requirements
+ Migration WA (migration.wa.gov.au) - includes key links to WA Skilled Migration information, Employer Sponsorship, the Overseas
Qualifications Unit and how to apply for recognition of qualifications obtained in a country other than Australia, WA Government, essential
services, regions in WA, education, housing
+ Western Australian Government (wa.gov.au)
+ Check your home Government website for additional information about migration
+ Visit the Contacts page on the nolimits.com.au site for links to construction industry associations and information relating to construction
employment in WA