Bricklaying contractors stepping up: training bricklaying apprentices on-the-job has its challenges

This publicly released industry research report was conducted on behalf of the Australian Brick and Blocklaying Training Foundation (ABBTF). This national organisation is responsible for collecting and spending the national brick levy in support of the bricklaying apprentices across Australia. This report was the result of industry consultations (i.e. interviews and employer focus groups) along with a national telephone survey of employers of apprentices (N = 453). The national levy's purpose and impact was reviewed along with significant statistical analysis. This included profiling of...  [+] Show more

This publicly released industry research report was conducted on behalf of the Australian Brick and Blocklaying Training Foundation (ABBTF). This national organisation is responsible for collecting and spending the national brick levy in support of the bricklaying apprentices across Australia. This report was the result of industry consultations (i.e. interviews and employer focus groups) along with a national telephone survey of employers of apprentices (N = 453). The national levy's purpose and impact was reviewed along with significant statistical analysis. This included profiling of employers, through binary logistic regression along with a segmentation analysis (i.e. using two-step cluster analysis). This research is providing a much more targeted approach on funding employers of apprentices within the field. The board and management are now considering alternative funding models to better target key employers with higher retention rates for apprentices.