Plan to fix shortage of 70,000 tradies [Video]

There is a warning today that Australia’s shortage of thousands of welders threatens the completion of major infrastructure and defence projects.

A forecast shortfall of 70,000 welders is putting the building of AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines, South Australia’s Torrens to Darlington road project, and shipbuilding programs all at risk warns industry body Weld Australia.

The dearth of welders has been caused by larger companies snapping up qualified welders, leaving smaller businesses struggling, it says.

While the industry’s current apprenticeship model is crucial for producing skilled welders, it can take up to four years to complete.

To remedy the crisis, Weld Australia is launching a streamlined training program, designed to rapidly train job-ready, certified welders in just 12 weeks.

It meets industry standards and certifies students to perform specific welding tasks in as little as three …