a day ago
Roger Cook sets sights on more $10k tradies from across Australia and overseas
The Cook Government has extended its $10,000 offer for tradies to move west, allocating $12.3 million in the State Budget to extend the scheme as well as incentives for employers to sponsor overseas workers.
The scheme, which pays tradies from the east coast and New Zealand the money to head to WA and work in the building industry has so far attracted 361 people, with another 658 applying to be part of it.
But the Government is determined to get more tradies, as pressure mounts to build more homes in WA.
'My Government will never stop working toward making sure every Western Australian has a home — and that there's no better place in the world to get a quality job,' Premier Roger Cook said.
'While training local people for local jobs will always be our priority, we need skilled workers right now — and if you're an eligible building and construction worker — there's even more cash up for grabs.'
The Premier said the program had enticed a variety of people with different skills to the State.
'It's great to see so many building and construction workers snapping up the job opportunities on offer in WA — including electricians, carpenters, and bricklayers — but we want even more.
'Sandgropers know the West Coast is the best coast — and while these tradies might come for the job, I'd be willing to be most of them would stay for the lifestyle.
'Beware to our east coast and Kiwi cousins — we want your tradies — and we're pulling out all the stops to bring them here.'
The Government will also extend its Construction and Visa Subsidy Program, which pays businesses $10,000 to offset the costs of bringing overseas skilled migrants to WA.
So far, it has attracted 849 skilled migrants to the west.
'Western Australia's economy is booming, and we need a skilled workforce to meet demand across a range of sectors including building and construction,' Skills and TAFE Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said.
'To build this workforce, we're investing in training to deliver the workforce of tomorrow while also attracting job-ready tradies for the workforce of today.
'The Construction Visa Subsidy Program and the Build a Life in WA Incentive are leveraging our State's reputation as a great place to live, helping to quickly bolster the building and construction industry's workforce to meet immediate demands.'
