High-Vis Army Program

Target outcomes

1. Collaborate with the parties who have signed the Building a Workforce to Build Tasmania MOU in supporting the growth and productivity of the building and construction workforce in Tasmania.
2. Increase the scale and scope of training courses on offer for new entrants and existing construction workers to upskill by developing courses where gaps have been identified.
3. Increase the number of construction workers through MBT training from 1,200 per year to 3,000 per year by 2024-25 by offering an additional 1,600 training places in 2021-22.
4. Train the trainers, including 3 new trainers, and administrators to deliver the new courses.
5. Employ an additional 80 apprentices, with 40 completing over the next 4 years, through the MBT Group Training Organisation (GTO) and maintain an above 90% completion rate.
6. Increase construction pathway programs across regions in partnership with regional development agencies and Job Ready organisations.
7. Improve and enhance the delivery of CPD short courses and accredited vocational courses specifically in the areas of fit outs for specialised asbestos and silica management training, waterproofing, condensation, working safely at heights, confined spaces, demonstrated building processes, codes and standards.
8. Increase the number of workers in construction and new entrants that have completed adequate safety training by delivering an expanded safety training program.
9. Improve the awareness of training courses on offer to encourage upskilling by a promotional campaign implemented across all regions and remote areas.
10. Improve awareness of employment opportunities in construction for people with diverse backgrounds – in this context Skills Tasmania understands diversity to include Aboriginal people, women, mature aged (at career entry), social or community housing backgrounds, regional or rural locations, disabled, culturally and linguistically diverse or refugee populations.
11. Increase scope to deliver Advanced Diploma of Building and Construction and Waterproofing Certificate III in 2022.

www.mbatas.org.au

Target outcomes

1. Increase the uptake of apprenticeships and traineeships in the Tasmanian building and construction industry by expanding HIA Apprentices GTO operations to Tasmania.
2. Have a special emphasis on increasing diversity within the building and construction industry, including supporting individuals facing disadvantage or barriers to employment by the development of a specialised support plan and service guide.
3. Target a minimum of 20 percent, and a preferred 50 percent of the total new apprentices and trainees from the under-represented groups or people facing barriers to employment, including:
   1. people who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander;
   2. women entering trades;
   3. people living in social or community housing;
   4. people from regional or rural locations;
   5. people with low level language, literacy or numeracy skills;
   6. mature aged (at career entry) people;
   7. people with a disability;
   8. people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds;
   9. refugees; and
   10. other groups facing disadvantage or barriers to employment in the building and construction sector.
4. Support YouthBuild student progression to apprenticeships.
5. Partner with appropriate organisations, specialists and other service providers to ensure services address the specialised needs of individuals, and work with their employers, to ensure that apprentices and trainees are supported to succeed.
6. Improve the prospects of long term employment opportunities for participants beyond the life of the project by providing a combination of training, employment and career development outcomes.
7. Provide a ‘wrap around’ service to industry for increasing diversity and inclusion, consisting of job ready training, mentoring and mental health support, literacy and numeracy assistance as well as tailoring options to meet individual needs.
8. Introduce higher standards of apprentice and trainee safety policies and procedures to the Tasmanian building industry.
9. Collaborate with the parties who have signed the Building a Workforce to Build Tasmania Memorandum of Understanding in supporting the growth and productivity of the building and construction workforce in Tasmania.

www.hia.com.au

Target outcomes

1. Collaborate with the parties who have signed the Building a Workforce to Build Tasmania MOU in supporting the growth and productivity of the building and construction workforce in Tasmania.
2. Improved workforce planning and workforce development activities in the civil construction industry to attract, develop and retain employees, with a target of more than 65% of businesses audited.
3. Increased completion rates for trainees and apprentices, aiming for a 75% completion rate.
4. Enhanced opportunities to upskill and progress into leadership roles through successful implementation of the TasTAFE paraprofessional course.
5. Increased number of female job seekers registering and applying for positions in the civil construction industry, measured through CCF Job Hub registrations and employment outcomes.
6. Increased numbers of trainers and assessors with direct civil construction experience.
7. Enhanced understanding, collaboration and cooperation between the CCF, Tasmanian State Government, Keystone Tasmania, Registered Training Organisations and civil construction employers, evidenced through pre- and post-project surveys.
8. The development of an Industry accepted Apprenticeship Pathway for the Civil Industry through increased Certificate training undertaken by industry.
9. Improved relevance of training provided through increased training participation rates.
10. Promote and enhance diversity in the industry – in this context Skills Tasmania understands diversity to mean: Groups that are traditionally under-represented in the civil construction sector including Aboriginal people, women, mature aged (at career entry), young people, social or community housing backgrounds, regional or rural locations, disabled, culturally and linguistically diverse or refugee populations.

www.ccftas.com.au

Target Outcomes

1. Construct a mobile training facility and employment of a dedicated electrotechnology trainer/workforce development officer to facilitate the delivery of Certificate II in Electrotechnology and promote the electrotechnology career opportunities throughout Tasmania.
2. Provide equitable access to electrical education and foster a skilled and capable workforce for Tasmania’s future.
3. Expand on working relationships with other Hi-Vis Army partners and DECYP to deliver programmes such as the HIA Youth Build program in schools
4. Increase awareness of careers within the electrical sector and to increase the capacity of the sector’s employers to recruit from.
5. Increased awareness of careers within the electrical sector and to increase the capacity of the sector’s employers to recruit from.
6. Increased attendance and participation in Hi-Vis Army events/programmes

Target Outcomes

1. Improved engagement with employers and key stakeholders through the function of the Industry Engagement Officer for the plumbing industry.
2. Increased industry engagement with TasTAFE learners and staff through the development and delivery of the ‘Industry Expert Pilot’
3. Increased number of industry-current trainers engaged to deliver training at TasTAFE.
4. Enhanced ‘return to industry’ opportunities for TasTAFE staff.
5. Improved conversion of Certificate II in Plumbing (Pre-apprenticeship) work placements to entry-level employment opportunities in the industry.
6. Increased amount of school engagement with a specific focus on career awareness and promoting the plumbing industry in Tasmania.

Keystone Tasmania is an independent state-wide organisation. Its work is funded by a levy on building and construction projects over the value of $20,000. A Board of Directors with broad industry and education experience administers the allocation of funds to workforce development projects and via training subsidies across all sectors of the industry, in line with Keystone’s annual training plan.

Keystone Tasmania are building their understanding of gaps in the quality and quantity of potential industry candidates and how candidates can be attracted, mentored, and developed to join their industry. Prevocational and work readiness training are a priority as are identifying gaps in training delivery. Keystone will be able to provide this High-Vis Army working group with valuable and consistent statistics on skills demand from the SOPHIA platform. Keystone also intend to work closely with allied industry bodies such as the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA), The Master Plumbers Association of Tasmania (MPAT) and The Air Conditioning and Mechanical Contractors Association (AMCA) on the workforce development challenges they face as part of the Tasmanian building and construction industry.

www.keystone.com.au

The High-Vis Army Program Working Group meets biannually. The priority for this working group is for all signatures of the MOU to collaborate with each other over training and workforce development and the implementation of the Building and Construction Industry Skills Compact.

The last High-Vis Army working group meeting was 23 July 2024.

There have also been two Building and Construction Industry Forums held in September 2023 and one in February 2024. The group now also incorporates both the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) and Master Plumbers Tasmania (MPAT).

At these forums Skills Tasmania has been working closely with the key stakeholders to finalise the Industry Skills Compact and Priority Action Plan, aligning with the High-Vis Army Workforce Action Plan and focussing on a collaborative effort to attract, recruit, upskill and retain employees across the sector.

The Building and Construction Industry Compact was signed by the Minister and all High-Vis Army members on the 4th of December 2023.

Please note: the group regularly meets in several different formats throughout the year.

High-Vis Army program working group – Meeting 8 Communiqué February 2026) (PDF 196.0 KB)

High-Vis Army program working group – Meeting 7 Communiqué (April 2025) (PDF 199.3 KB)

High-Vis Army Program Working Group – Meeting 6 – Communiqué (PDF 57.5 KB)

Meeting 5 (Building and Construction Industry Forum)

Meeting 4 (Building and Construction Industry Forum)

High-Vis Army Program Working Group - Meeting 3 - Communiqué (PDF 42.4 KB)

High-Vis Army Program Working Group - Meeting 2 - Communiqué (PDF 52.3 KB)

High-Vis Army Program Working Group - Meeting 1 - Communiqué (PDF 49.5 KB)

Housing Industry Association (HIA)

• The HIA Group Training Organisation commenced 37 apprentices from target equity groups, strengthening diversity and inclusion across the sector.
• Promotion of opportunities to HIA members occurred across 15 regional industry forums, including major events such as HIA HomeFest and Agfest in 2023 and 2024.
• Participation in 25 career expos and job fairs, engaging more than 2,000 students, parents and teachers with information on building and construction careers.
• HIA YouthBUILD engaged over 400 students across 20 participating schools, providing hands‑on exposure to construction pathways.
• In partnership with Keystone, five virtual experiences were developed covering carpentry, bricklaying, finishing trades, civil construction and crane operation.
• Marketing campaigns were delivered across face‑to‑face, digital and print channels, including new advertising on buses and radio.
• A suite of six financial training modules for apprentices was developed in partnership with Collins SBA, supporting financial literacy and work readiness.
• New support services were introduced, with 15 apprentices referred to Employee Assistance Programs or additional mentoring.
• New apprentices now receive weekly guides and resources covering safety, support services, information and practical advice to assist their transition into the workforce.

Civil Contractors Federation (CCF)

• Delivered 29 Civil Job Ready and career awareness programs, including Women in Civil, Migrant programs, General Entry programs, Traffic Management programs, Cuppa in Civil career sessions and regional trade training programs.
• Delivered Civil Career Awareness programs to more than 50 schools each year.
• Developed and launched the Your Speed Is Our Safety media campaign across 2022, 2023 and 2024.
• Completed research and a business case for mobile simulator equipment to support attraction, career awareness and training across the civil construction sector.
• Undertook research into the demand for a live works training site to support faster, more efficient training for plant and machinery operators and other accredited industry training.
• Commenced early design and planning for the proposed live works site, with construction expected to begin in February 2025.
• Completed a statewide skills audit with participation from more than 100 businesses.
• Participated in major career expos and community events including the Fearless Festival, Catholic Education Careers Expo, HIA HomeFest, Tasmanian Principals Conference and Agfest, promoting civil construction career opportunities.
• Delivered the inaugural Tasmanian Building and Construction Careers Expo in partnership with DYCEP and the Jobs Tasmania network.
• Progressed development of the Life After Sport program with the Tasmanian Institute of Sport, scheduled for pilot delivery in 2025.

Master Builders Tasmania (MBT)

• New purpose-built training facility at Cambridge, and partnership with TasTAFE has enabled the delivery of:
• Certificate III in Waterproofing (31 commencements)
• Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Building) (244 commencements)
• Diploma of Building and Construction (Construction) (14 commencements)
• Advanced Diploma in Building and Construction (Management) to commence in March 2025
• Two Master Builders Tasmania members have completed the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, strengthening industry training capability.
• A Group Training Organisation has been established, with a Manager and North‑West Field Officer appointed, and currently employs 100 apprentices.
• Twelve Building High Vis Army presentations have been delivered across 12 schools, including 11 in collaboration with the Civil Contractors Federation, alongside participation in Agfest, the CCF TailGate Expo and multiple school expos.
• A pilot apprentice high‑performance program, delivered with leading Tasmanian sporting organisations and CCF, is now being presented to the Tasmanian Institute of Sport.
• A total of 269 students have completed their White Card (CPCWHS1001 – Prepare to work safely in the construction industry) through 26 sessions delivered across 16 schools.
• Collaboration with schools and community groups has supported delivery of the NextGen Trade Training Program at the Cambridge facility (Aug–Oct 2024).
• In partnership with Podmatrix, 13 participants completed an eight‑week NextGen Trades Training Program, constructing a cubby pod donated to the Royal Hobart Hospital Children’s Ward and completing seven units of competency.

National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA)

• Developed two industry surveys focused on training needs, and the supply and demand for skilled labour across the electrical sector.
• Collaborated with Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) to enable training to be delivered in Tasmania, saving industry from having to source training interstate – including:
• 8 participants in Safe Work Practices
• 16 participants in Test & Verification Training
• 12 participants in Leading Mates (Leadership Development)
• 10 participants in Design & Install Grid Connected Photovoltaic Systems (6 x participants scheduled for November 2024)
• 12 participants in Design & Install Grid Connected Battery Storage Systems (scheduled for November 2024)
• Developed and submitted a proposal based on industry research to enable delivery of Certificate II in Electrotechnology (Career Start) in regional and remote areas.
• Worked with the Department for Education, Children and Young People (DECYP) to establish an electrical industry program for schools.
• Engaged with Jobs Tasmania to develop an industry-specific toolkit and connect with Employer of Choice Assist program.
• Continued active participation in industry functions and trade nights to gather insights, share information and strengthen engagement with industry stakeholders.

Organisations have begun implementing their Round 2 projects, each designed to strengthen Tasmania’s workforce pipeline and respond to areas of critical need. This phase builds on the momentum of the initial round, ensuring continuity of initiatives that deliver long‑term benefits for local industries.

A central focus of Round 2 is ensuring that all funded training and workforce development activities align closely with the Tasmanian Skills Plan (PDF 13.9 MB). By doing so, the program supports a coordinated approach to skills development, ensuring that training reflects current and emerging industry demand in Tasmania.

Results from Round 2 will be uploaded as they become available.