Australia’s housing targets will remain out of reach unless vocational education receives the same attention as university pathways, according to the Housing Industry Association (HIA), which says the country needs a larger pipeline of skilled tradespeople alongside professional graduates.
The comments come as the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry contributes to the national discussion on education and skills, with industry groups calling for policies that better reflect workforce demand.
HIA Executive Director Future Workforce Mike Hermon said universities remain essential for producing architects, engineers, surveyors, planners and construction managers involved in housing projects. However, he said the industry also faces an urgent need for the tradespeople responsible for building homes.
Australia has committed to delivering 1.2 million new homes over five years under the National Housing Accord, but the HIA says the residential construction sector requires another 83,000 skilled tradespeople to meet that goal.
Mr Hermon said attracting more young people into apprenticeships and trade careers would be critical if housing supply is to keep pace with demand.
He pointed to figures from the National Centre for Vocational Education and Research showing that 95 per cent of construction apprentices and trainees move into employment after completing their training, describing it as evidence of strong demand across the sector.
Mr Hermon said careers in the building industry now extend well beyond traditional trade roles. He said apprentices can progress to running their own businesses, becoming licensed builders, site supervisors, estimators or project managers, while many specialist roles now involve digital technologies, modern construction methods and artificial intelligence.
He said the discussion should focus on creating an education system that produces the full range of skills needed by the economy rather than framing university and vocational education as competing options.
“What we need is a pipeline of architects to design our homes, engineers to certify them and builders and tradies to bring them to life,” Mr Hermon said.
Industry analysts have repeatedly identified workforce shortages as one of several barriers affecting housing supply, alongside planning delays, land availability, rising construction costs and productivity challenges.
Mr Hermon said governments should continue supporting apprenticeship commencements and completions while ensuring students receive balanced career advice about opportunities in residential construction.
“If we’re serious about improving housing affordability, we have to be equally serious about building the workforce that will deliver those homes,” he said. “Every apprentice we fail to attract today is one less qualified tradie building Australia’s homes tomorrow.”
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