TasTAFE partnership helps migrants learn building and construction skills
Published on: 07 Feb 2025
TasTAFE recently partnered with Welcome Cultural Services to deliver the Job-ready for Building and Construction Program at Alanvale Campus in Launceston.
Welcome Cultural Services (formerly the Migrant Resource Centre Northern Tasmania) is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in northern Tasmania – including many new arrivals to Australia.
Louise Monaghan, Training Pathways Project Co-ordinator at Welcome Cultural Services, said that these programs can be a vital part of the working journey for migrants – opening the door to employment in building and construction.
“A lot of the migrants that come through our doors have building and construction experience,” Louise said. “So they've got skills that an employer can tap into straight away – but they don't have the qualifications or the connections.”
The program’s most recent intake featured 18 participants – including migrants from Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Sudan and Vietnam, ranging in age from 18 to 50.
Recognising that many recent arrivals have limited English-language skills, the 10-week program began with a series of workshops on Australian employment essentials Рeverything from writing resum̩s to teamwork, Workplace Health and Safety and basic communication skills.
Louise Monaghan recalled how one participant from Nepal, who’d spent time in a refugee camp, said that “My body is my resumé” – referencing his experience where building employers would arrive every morning with a truck, and select only the fittest and strongest to work.
“When we talk about how you sell yourself on a piece of paper, it can be such a foreign concept to people who are new to Australia,” Louise said. “So these workshops can help the participants understand the steps towards getting a job here.”
At TasTAFE’s Alanvale Campus, the participants then engaged with practical carpentry and civil construction skills, learning to use a range of tools from hammers and chisels to electric planers, jackhammers and concrete saws.
Sean Crane, TasTAFE Education Manager – Civil Construction, Mining and Resources, said that the program also included guest speakers from the building and construction sector.
“Master Builders Tasmania came and spoke to them and provided them with a rundown on what the construction industry looks like here, and what types of careers are available,” he said.
At the end of their time at TasTAFE, the participants gained their Construction Induction White Card certification – before moving on to 40-hour work placements within the industry.
They then celebrated the end of their training with a graduation ceremony on 12 December 2024. Sean Crane was there to wish the participants well.
“We had a great group of participants in the program,” Sean said. “They were all really engaged with the training – it was great to see.”
The Job-ready for Building and Construction Program was funded through Skills Tasmania’s Training and Work Pathways Program 2023 (Tasmanian Government, Department of State Growth) and had 2 intakes in 2024.
If you would like to partner with TasTAFE in the development and delivery of tailored training initiatives like this successful program, please contact our Industry Engagement team at industryengagement@tastafe.tas.edu.au.
