Greg Durkin: Building and Construction ITO Director on less than 50% of apprentices completing their training

A weak construction industry's done nothing to help low completion rates among apprenticeships. 

Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds says more than half of apprentices in training are dropping out. 

She's seeking extra funding so new industry bodies can investigate the number of dropouts. 

Building and Construction ITO Director Greg Durkin told Mike Hosking there's been a significant drop in building work since 2023. 

He says this has had an impact on people completing their apprenticeships, when they can go down the road and maybe get a couple dollars more in a different role. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So what's going on invocational training back here of those
who enter less than half finished. Greg Durkin is the
bc IO director and as with.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Us, Greg morning, Yeah one in my k you very.

Speaker 1 (00:12):
Well, thank you. Penny Simmons says it's not blanket across
all industries. Is that true?

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Yeah, that's true. I think the minister's numbers. She's talking
about apprenticeships across a wide range of industries. BCO we
look after fifteen construction industries and our completion rates, depending
on the industries range from around about seventy five percent
down to about sixty five percent.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
Would you be happy with those numbers?

Speaker 2 (00:40):
Yeah? I think that lock pay can always be better,
but I think that, like all all jobs, people who
start don't always finish. Construction's not for everyone, but it's
there's a lot of people who are entering our apprenticeships
and who are completing. We noticed around about COVID, and

(01:01):
it wasn't because of COVID that the numbers of withdrawals
were increasing. We did some research on that and yeah,
there was some We certainly found out a bunch of
things and that there was no single reason, no singular reason,
but at the cost of living and changes in the

(01:22):
economy certainly had a big part to play.

Speaker 1 (01:25):
And when you say changes in the economy, there are
easier jobs elsewhere, do they then leave? Is that part
of the equation or during COVID, if they were going
to pay you us at home and do nothing you
kind of like that.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
Well, I think yeah, if certainly the cost of living
has changed. You know, we had a boom of building
up until twenty three, twenty twenty three, and then a
significant drop since then, So that's had an impact on
the affordability of people to be able to stay in
their apprenticeship when they could go down the road and

(01:57):
maybe get a couple of dollars more in another role.

Speaker 1 (02:01):
See could This is the thing that concerns me because
in a tight economy there are no jobs of people
going on. Jeez, maybe I'll be a builder or plumber
or whatever. If you don't want to do it but
you're forced to do it, is that where the problem
is and we're just sort of butting heads on people
who just actually don't want to be there in the
first place.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
Oh No, I don't think that that's the case. I
think people, you know, the people who enter the construction
industry in the main are generally really interested in a
future in construction and it features bright. The challenge that
we've got, Mike is that, you know, the construction industry

(02:39):
is quiet at the moment, and employers are really struggling
and they're doing a really good job to try and
keep the apprentices that they've got. But we're going to
you know, that's not going to last for ever. We're
going to see we will see it change in the
construction industry with increased demand. And if we're not training now,

(03:00):
then we're just going to end up with you and
I having another conversation about skill shore. Well.

Speaker 1 (03:04):
I like you, Greg, and You're welcome on the program anytime,
but I'm sick of having conversations about supply chain issues
and pipeline issues in this country, not having attack together issues.
But I thank you for your time for now. Greg Durkin,
b c ITO Director, Some Problems.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
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