Building challenges are starting to ease, but that doesn't mean you'll be able to find a tradie

For more than two years, Colleen has been stuck in construction purgatory. "Completion rates of apprentices have been around the 50 per cent mark for a number of years, so that's been an issue that has been contributing to that churn of labour in the construction sector." Master Builders Australia chief executive Denita Wawn says it was clear that, prior to the pandemic, "we simply would not have enough skilled people to meet the demand that is necessary for the population growth we'll see over the next 10 years". "It's been exacerbated by the pandemic, because of the border closures, although it was positive to see the support of apprenticeships and additional funding," Ms Wawn says. Ms Dayhew points to the need for greater support for apprentices and their supervisors, particularly during the formative years of their training, although there's no "silver bullet" to improving completion rates, she adds.