Around 700 Tasmanian students have gotten a taste of life in the building and construction industry at a careers expo in Hobart.
The Tasmanian Building and Construction Careers Expo was held at MAC 2 on Thursdaya, with around 40 businesses hosting displays alongside construction equipment and simulators for students to try.
The free event was hosted by Civil Contractors Federation Tasmania along with 11 other organisations covering civil contracting, building, architecture, engineering, plumbing, electrical, painting, bricklaying, surveying and project management.
CCF Tasmania CEO Andrew Winch said the expo could spark lifelong careers.
“Every student who walks through the door today could be the plant operator, surveyor, electrician, carpenter, engineer, plumber or project manager building Tasmania for decades to come,” he said.
“There’s no doubt the work is there. Apart from huge projects like the stadium, we have thousands of homes to build, roads and bridges to deliver and water and sewerage systems to install and upgrade.”
“What we need is the workforce to deliver everything.”
Students also learned about training pathways and support available to help launch their careers.
“Students will get a hands-on introduction to what the building and construction sector has to offer and talk directly to people working in the sector,” Winch said.
“They can also talk to trainees and apprentices who were sitting in a Year 10 classroom just a couple of years ago. That is the conversation that changes what a young person thinks is possible.”
“The buildings and infrastructure Tasmania will rely on between now and the middle of the century will be built by people who are in school today.”
“It’s exciting to think that this might be the day some of these students work out that this is the job they want.”
Minister for Infrastructure Kerry Vincent attended the expo alongside heads of building and construction peak bodies and met with students from Sorell School.
