Thousands of construction workers across New South Wales and the country are set to benefit from new training opportunities aimed at boosting housing supply, following an $11 million joint investment from the Federal and NSW Governments into a new Construction TAFE Centre of Excellence in Western Sydney.
The existing Institute of Applied Technology – Construction at the TAFE NSW Kingswood campus will be upgraded as part of the initiative, with a focus on helping tradies and supervisors gain practical, industry-led skills to meet growing demand across the housing and infrastructure sectors.
Fee-free training for tradies
A major part of the investment includes two new fee-free microskills — short, practical online courses designed to help tradies upskill quickly and flexibly.
The first courses will focus on leadership and workplace culture, joining a growing list of fee-free training options covering digital capability, sustainability, project management and Building Information Modelling (BIM).
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Over the next two years, the Centre is expected to deliver more than 20,000 enrolments through microskills and microcredentials, available both online and face-to-face.
The Centre will also work alongside industry and universities to develop what is being described as a first-of-its-kind Higher Apprenticeship in construction, creating a pathway that combines hands-on experience with higher-level qualifications.
Federal Minister for Skills and Training Andrew Giles said growing the construction workforce is critical to meeting housing demand.
“We can’t build more homes without more construction workers. That’s why we’re improving training capability to support growing the workforce,” he said.
“This TAFE Centre of Excellence will offer students and apprentices cutting-edge skills, and align with industry needs for workers to more easily access opportunities to upskill.”
Supporting future housing demand
The Centre will focus on practical construction training across quality, compliance, project management and digital skills, while also supporting sustainable building practices and modern methods of construction.
NSW Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Steve Whan said training needed to evolve alongside industry.
“The construction industry is changing rapidly, and training needs to keep pace with new technology, new building methods, and the workforce needed to help deliver more homes and infrastructure across Western Sydney and beyond,” he said.
“These new fee-free microskills will help tradies and supervisors build practical skills in areas like leadership, workplace culture and digital capability, with flexible online training they can complete wherever they are.”
