Workers take off white collar for craft jobs
Parents, schools and young people were also urged to look more seriously at careers in construction rather than focusing too much on the academic world.
About 7,000 young people start apprenticeships each year and up to 22,000 qualify in various crafts in a four-year cycle, the Irish Home Builders’ Association (IHBA) conference was told, in Killarney.
“A general operative in a construction site can earn as much money as a marketing manager in a medium-sized company,” said Confederation Industry Federation (CIF) public affairs executive Kevin Gilna.
An unskilled general operative can be paid €600 gross a week, while doing an apprenticeship at the same time, he said. Skilled people such as carpenters can earn €1,000 gross a week and bricklayers can do even better.
A fourth-year apprentice earns €577 a week and the starting rate for qualified crafts people is €16 an hour, said Mr Gilna.
“Apprentices can learn skills that will not only give them good employment in Ireland, but will also take them around the world if they want to travel, and many end up being their own bosses running their own businesses,” he said. He also said more girls were taking up apprenticeships and becoming electricians, plumbers, plasterers and painters.
Mr Gilna claimed there was a bias in favour of third level education when post Leaving Certificate opportunities were being discussed.
“’This bias must be addressed by giving greater coverage to other equally valuable career options, such as traditional apprenticeships. The construction industry also needs to promote itself more in girls’ schools.”
The IHBA predicted that 600,000 to 700,000 housing units will be built in the next decade, offering steady employment.
The conference also heard that, despite warnings from economic commentators, there was still no sign of a slowdown in the building boom. The number of houses to be built this year will exceed last year’s record 77,000. The construction industry employs 227,000.
CIF director Liam Kelleher said a high number of apprentices continued to come into the industry.
