Caitlyn Carriere is one of a growing number of Tasmanians who have completed a construction industry apprenticeship.
She recently finished a three-year carpentry apprenticeship in Launceston.
"I started a certificate two in building to try and build my own skill base so I could work on my house by myself," she said.
"During that cert two I really had a knack for it, I really enjoyed the work I was doing and my teacher recommended me for an apprenticeship."
The 24-year-old is now employed by Fairbrother Construction.
Before embarking on her apprenticeship, she had worked for years in a variety of roles in hospitality.
"It was a complete 180 (degrees) from the experience that I'd had and it was a fantastic change," she said.
Tasmania tops national rate in apprenticeship completions
Tasmania has seen a jump in the number of new apprentices and tops the nation when it comes to apprenticeship completions.
According to recent data from the National Centre for Vocational Research, about 70 per cent of Tasmanian construction apprentices complete their training, compared with 56 per cent nationally.
Matthew Pollock from the Master Builders Association Tasmanian Branch said the strength of Tasmania's construction industry over the last couple of years had helped boost numbers.
"Construction activity in Tasmania has been the best in the country really for about the last four years and what that does is it gives businesses the confidence to invest in new people," he said.
"It also has created job opportunities in construction perhaps that we haven't seen for quite some time."
Ms Carriere said the variety of work a Tasmanian apprentice could undertake was one factor for the high completion rate.
"An apprentice on the mainland might end up being solely a framer or a roofer or strictly in joinery, which is one compartment of carpentry and building," she said.
"Tasmania's experience is we do a little bit of everything. We're really a jack of all trades, so that might be enough variety and skill difference that it keeps it interesting and people aren't stuck or bored."
Construction apprenticeships double
The apprentices will be doing their bit to help meet the state's growing demand for tradespeople and help address a skills shortage in the construction industry.
"This year we expect to reach 3,000 new apprentice enrolments in construction, and to put that in perspective, on an average year over the past decade or so we get a little over 1,500," Mr Pollock said.
"So it's almost doubled from what we would expect to see in a normal year."
But it will not have an immediate impact on wait times for tradies.
"In time, yes it will but it does take four years to get a person through their apprenticeship," Mr Pollock said.
With retirements over the next few years, the association estimates it will need to train up an extra 6,500 people.
"It's great to see these numbers over the last 12 months but what we're really hoping is that we can continue that momentum over the next 12 months," Mr Pollock said.
"By our estimates we'll need to grow the construction workforce by 25 per cent by 2025."
Chris Clark from the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union said that while Tasmanians are the most likely to complete their apprenticeship in the country, there is still a long way to go.
"It shows that we're heading in the right direction that making sure when apprentices start a trade that they get to the point where they finish it but it still doesn't address the lack of cohesive training through the TAFE system or the numbers needed to address the skills shortage," he said.
"All it really tells us is that people that start generally go through to complete but the amount of people starting and the amount of people that are completing are nowhere near enough to address the skills shortage."
He said projects like Battery of the Nation and growing demand in the trade through the move to renewable energy, solar panels and electric cars would place even more strain on the industry.
Wages low for apprentices
Apprentice wages are stopping many people from taking up an apprenticeship or hanging up the tools.
"Apprentice wages are quite low," Mr Clark said.
"If you're looking at a potential career change as an adult, it's extremely difficult especially if you've got a mortgage and a family to raise to try and do it under the current wage model.
"It pays off in the end, there's no doubt about that, but the short-term pain stops a lot of people from even taking that first step."
Female apprentices on the rise
Ms Carriere is also among a growing number of Tasmanian women embarking on apprenticeships.
The recent data revealed women made up 10 per cent of new apprentices in Tasmania, compared to the national average of 7 per cent.
"There is an increasing number of people competing their apprenticeships and I think that's absolutely fantastic," Ms Carriere said.
"The more women we get in there doing these jobs and showing people that we are more than perfectly capable, it reduces the amount of stereotype.
"I think there's a great future for young apprentices and me, the construction industry is changing and evolving every single day and the changes are fantastic."
Mr Pollock agreed.
"It shows that we still have quite a bit of work to do and we can certainly do better but also that we're on the right track," he said.
