More homegrown apprentices for more West Australian Homes

West Australians are among those benefitting from the Albanese Labor Government’s Key Apprenticeship Program (KAP), which is delivering more housing construction apprentices for communities across the state.

With the Housing Construction Apprenticeship (HCA) stream of the program recently marking nine months, new data has revealed that in that time there have been 2,388 housing construction apprentice commencements in Western Australia from the program, among 22,103 commencements nationwide.

Carpenters and joiners are the most popular occupations under the program in WA (700 commencements), followed by electrical trades workers (531 commencements) and plumbers (441 commencements).

The program, which helps apprentices to start and finish training in the critical skills needed to build more homes, provides support through a $10,000 incentive, paid in instalments over the course of their apprenticeship to assist with costs such as tools, equipment and fuel.

KAP apprentices receive $2,000 payments at six, 12, 24 and 36 months and on completion of their apprenticeship.

Employers of an apprentice under the program can claim up to $5,000 in the first year of the apprenticeship.

The Key Apprenticeship Program sits alongside other supports introduced by the Albanese Government to support more apprentices to start – and importantly finish – their apprenticeship, including the first increase to the Living Away from Home Allowance in 20 years.

Apprentices or employers interested in learning more about the Key Apprenticeship Program can find out more information at www.apprenticeships.gov.au.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Skills and Training, Andrew Giles:

“Nine months in to the Key Apprenticeship Program it’s great to see so many West Australians taking up the tools to help us build more homes.

“From carpenters to electricians and plumbers, the Albanese Labor Government is backing more Australians to kickstart their apprenticeship in housing construction, and helping them through to the finish line too.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Moore, Tom French:

“As a former electrician, I know firsthand the cost of getting started: tools, transport, and the day-to-day expenses that come with being on the tools.

“For apprentices across Moore, this support can make the difference between starting, and finishing, their training.

“If we’re serious about building more homes locally, we need to back the next generation of tradies, and that’s exactly what this program is doing.”

BACKGROUND

Facts at a glance:

• In Western Australia there have been 2,388 housing construction apprentice commencements in the first nine months of the Key Apprenticeship Program (1 July 2025 to 31 March 2026), across 1,520 employers.
• Commencements are occurring across the state:
  • 1,753 (73.4%) commencements in the Perth region
  • 536 (22.4%) commencements in regional WA
  • 99 (4.1%) commencements in remote WA
• The top five occupations in Western Australia under the KAP are:
  • Carpenters and joiners – 700 (29.3%) commencements
  • Electrical trades workers – 531 (22.2%) commencements
  • Plumbers – 441 (18.5%) commencements
  • Bricklayers, stonemasons and concreters – 157 (6.6%) commencements
  • Electronics and telecommunications trades workers – 151 (6.3%) commencements