Is It Worth It To Become a Builder in 2022?

15/08/2022

If you’ve been tuning into the news lately, you may have heard about “the most difficult time in Australian construction” (7News).

The pandemic, the war in Ukraine and now the gas crisis have all created the perfect storm causing construction companies to struggle to survive.

And yet, it’s not all doom and gloom for the Aussie building game as the industry steps up to tackle these challenges by upskilling more workers and transitioning to renewables (Fifth Estate).

Here we help you weigh up the pros and cons to becoming a builder in 2022.

Builder skills shortage

The construction industry has large skills shortages, including a need for more builders, carpenters and plumbers (NSC).

This demand has triggered both the Victorian and Australian governments to cover the costs of certain building and construction courses.

Eligible students can now do their Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Building) or a Diploma of Building and Construction (Building) for free in Victoria, showing just how badly builders are still needed in Australia.

Builder jobs

Despite the recent troubles, the building industry is likely to recover and continue to be essential in the medium to long term.

In Victoria, we expect construction to be a main source of jobs as the Victorian Government continues to roll out its Big Build projects.

Victoria’s Big Build includes the Metro Tunnel Project, a civil construction project that will give Melbourne a world-class railway system.

Then there’s also Victoria’s Big Housing Build, which will create lots of jobs for builders and tradies in residential construction.

Meanwhile, with the residential property market finally on a downturn, new homes are going to be more affordable and more in demand compared to established homes, creating ongoing work for domestic builders.

How to become a builder

Pick a school

Become a builder by studying with Victoria’s favourite dedicated trades school, Builders Academy Australia.

As a registered training organisation, we’re approved by the government to deliver building and construction courses in Melbourne and right across Victoria.

What makes us stand out from other training providers and TAFEs is that we stick to our policy of ‘builders training builders’, so you learn with experienced tradies.

Because we’ve trained hundreds of builders in Victoria, we’re experts at assessing your eligibility for FREE TAFE and other government subsidies.

Do building and construction courses

There are many different types of builders, but it’s domestic builders that are in demand at the moment, which is why courses for domestic builders are free for eligible Aussies.

What type of domestic projects do you want to work on? If you want to do low rise homes, you could do a free CPC40120 Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Building).

Or if you want a greater challenge and to earn a higher income, you can do mid-rise residential projects with a CPC50220 Diploma of Building and Construction (Building).

Choose in-person or online

We’ve been delivering building and construction courses online for many years now, even before the pandemic made online study so popular.

So it’s no wonder why our online courses are so highly regarded among both students and employers.

Whether you want to attend the virtual classroom or do self-paced study at your own time, these online study options give you the flexibility to become a builder while juggling your other commitments.

We offer both the cert 4 and diploma of building and construction in online modes. You can even brush up your skills whenever you need to by signing up for building and construction short courses.

Get a registration

When you study a Cert 4 or Diploma in Building and Construction with us, we give you extra support as you prepare to get your builders registration from the VBA.

The builders registration application is notoriously hard, so we support our students with a free Builders Registration Mentoring Program.

This mentorship gives you one-on-one time with a registered builder who helps you succeed in your application.

Our students have a high success rate and become top picks for Victorian employers.