In the 2018-2019 Federal Budget, the Government pledged $75B for transport infrastructure, funding several major upcoming NSW construction projects such as the State’s Sydney Metro railway extension plan, which is expected to create hundreds of new jobs in Sydney between 2019 and 2024.
With youth unemployment rates in NSW hovering at above 10 per cent, it is important that young people are aware of these opportunities in the civil construction sector.
Productivity Force, which is a joint venture between NSW Business Chamber and Productivity Bootcamp, is making it easier for our youth to get into jobs in this sector. The Productivity Bootcamp aims to bridge the gap between youth unemployment and the growing needs of the civil construction industry.
For employers who are struggling to get young people to take jobs, and stick with them, this exclusive talent pool are trained, screened and totally work-ready before they even join the workforce, thanks to the training they complete with Productivity Bootcamp before graduating to employment with Productivity Force.
The Bootcamp program consists of a comprehensive and highly practical eight-week course that exposes young people to a range of trades on a simulated construction site.
Productivity Bootcamp Director, Paul Breen, was inspired to create the program in 2015 after experiencing the negative effects of the skills shortage across the industry during his time as a Construction Manager.
“What we were seeing was a lot of young people getting construction trade qualifications, but not developing realistic expectations around what that work actually was,” he said.
“When a day’s work on site wasn’t what they thought, they became disengaged and dropped out of their roles very quickly, which is a big headache for employers and the industry in general.”
Mr Breen says that workers who come to a construction project through Productivity Force are uniquely skilled and highly valuable to employers in the industry, saving their employers the time, effort and worry that often comes with hiring a ‘green’ employee.
Productivity Force’s flexible solutions include on-hiring apprentices and labourers, as well as providing entire crews to worksites.
“Many of our clients are significantly reducing their labour costs, by having us provide qualified, experienced trades people to work with Bootcamp-trained staff and apprentices, who are already well-versed in construction work and used to working together as a team.”
Since the program started, 87 per cent of Bootcamp graduates have gone on to full-time work in construction – many through Productivity Force - filling hundreds of much-needed jobs in the civil construction industry.
Mr Breen says he believe that the next generation of workers, if given the right knowledge, tools and opportunities to success, will be “the most effective and productive Australia has ever seen.”
For more information on how Productivity Force can help your business access quality workers for your projects, visit
www.productivityforce.com.au or call 0409 052 340.
