As the year draws to a close, many young people around the country are completing their apprenticeship training in bricklaying.  

They have worked hard to achieve a valuable qualification and this milestone will be recognition of the knowledge and skills in bricklaying which will benefit them for the rest of their lives.

ABBTF congratulates all apprentices who completed their training during 2012.

This Certificate III qualification in bricklaying will open many doors to a range of careers in the construction industry.  Many others before this 2012 graduating class have gone on to successful careers as contractors running a business, or as builders, project managers or construction managers.

We see a number of qualified bricklayers travelling around Australia or overseas, or moving out of the industry for a short time until building activity returns to former levels.  Whatever they choose to do they will always have the qualification in bricklaying that will provide them with the freedom to choose their future.

We have also seen bricklayers who qualified over recent years starting their own gang and putting on apprentices to build a young, energetic and productive team.

By signing on a new apprentice they receive ABBTF financial support which was also provided to their employer when they were doing their apprenticeship.  We believe ABBTF has played an important role in supporting all apprentices completing their training and achieving a qualification in bricklaying.

Geoff Noble,

ABBTF General Manager

There have been some misconceptions and assumptions made in relation to this topic in the last 12 months.  As such I wanted to write this blog to clear up the issue and hopefully put our stakeholders at ease.

Back in 2008, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to introduce a national licensing system with the principal goal of reforming existing regulatory requirements and process’s.

Legislation was introduced to form a National Occupational Licensing Authority (NOLA), whereby they could maintain and administer a public register of all trade licensees.  This system has been created as an important tool for clients and builders when selecting licensed tradesman to undertake work.

National Licensing reform is also expected to improve occupational health and safety conditions, boost labour availability and labour mobility given that a licensed tradesman will be able to move from state to state.  In implementing this system, NOLA is consulting with industry to seek advice and feedback relating to industry standards, practices and expectations.

Consultation with industry is ongoing in relation to the impact of trade licence reform, legislation framework and regulation.  IAC’s or Interim Advisory Committees have been formed for the first round of national licences which are expected to be introduced by 2013. These include:

•    Electrical Occupations
•    Plumbing and Gas Fitting
•    Property Occupations
•    Refrigeration & Air Conditioning.

These groups have since come together to develop elements of the licensing policy which included licence categories and types, scope of work, skilled and non skilled eligibility criteria and licensing characteristics including exemptions and restrictions.

Further to this, other building related trade licensing (including bricklaying) discussions have been suspended until such time that the above trade areas have been implemented.  Discussions and consultation is not expected to resume until at least May 2014.

It must be said however that even if the current COAG agenda was implemented in its entirety, WA would be under no obligation to licence trades not currently covered!  In the mean time however, ABBTF in WA will continue to promote the value of trade qualifications.  This is why ABBTF provides a $400 tool voucher for any bricklayer in WA who obtains his trade qualification through recognition of prior learning (RPL) or trade skill recognition (TSR) through a quality training provider.

Some builders are now encouraging their trades to gain their qualifications through this system, especially those who have been working in the industry for some time and currently or previously have hosted or employed apprentices.  This makes sense given that builders need to build the best product that they can and demonstrate in the process that they are using quality trades.

For information on National Licensing go to http://nola.gov.au/  For information on gaining your bricklaying qualification through RPL contact myself on 0418200401 or e-mail dean.pearson@abbtf.com.au

Dean Pearson
WA Manager, ABBTF

Lindsay Partridge has been named a Member of the Order of Australia in the Queen's Birthday Honours list this week, for his visionary work in securing the future of this industry through the ongoing training of a skilled workforce in bricklaying.  His work culminated in the establishment of the Australian Brick & Blocklaying Training Foundation (ABBTF) which he continues to actively guide as Chairman of the Board of Directors.  This national organisation has, since 2006, made possible the training of up to 2500 apprentices in Australia each year.

Lindsay Partridge is a veteran of the industry and is Managing Director of the largest brick making Company in Australia - Brickworks Ltd (Austral Bricks and its many sub-brands).   His early recognition that the residential and commercial brick building industry would decline without the continuing flow of qualified bricklaying tradespeople entering the trade, while appreciated in the industry, now has wider recognition with this announcement. 

When asked about the award, Lindsay Partridge was quick to recognise the team effort involved in maintaining the focus over the past thirty years and the successful outcomes since the establishment of the ABBTF in more recent times.

Geoff Noble, General Manager of the ABBTF since its inception as a national organisation in 2006, was delighted to learn of the Award.  “This Award for Lindsay recognises his great achievements in advancing the bricklaying trade.  I know he would agree that this Award also recognizes the efforts of the wider industry:   the ABBTF team, the programs of TAFE’s and Group Training Organisations, the brick manufacturers, the builders and the bricklayers who employer and train apprentices on the job, year in, year out. “

Geoff Noble, General Manager ABBTF.