News and Blogs
How to Restore Heritage Protected Homes – Workshop
FCTA – Building Careers in partnership with Renewal SA’s Works Program, has developed a one-day workshop to help owners of heritage properties with restoration planning. South Australia is blessed with a variety of heritage-protected character homes. Owning these...
Federal government to extend 50% apprentice wage subsidy | Industry news
The Federal government has decided to extend the 50% apprentice wage subsidy. This scheme saw employers sign up 100,000 new apprentices and trainees in just five months. The Prime Mister is expected to announce the extension today, removing the 100,000 cap and...
Pre-apprenticeship Course Starts 23rd of March 2021
There are multiple junior apprenticeship positions currently available in South Australia. FCTA – Building Careers is running a combined Certificate II in Construction courses for JobTrainer eligible students and TGSS high school students. Contact us to discuss your...
Vale – Connor Musolino – bricklaying’s quiet achiever 31/3/2001 – 17/1/2021
We have trained hundreds of bricklaying apprentices over the last 20 years. One of the joys of being a family run business is seeing our young apprentices complete their training and go out into the world to apply their skills and form their new careers. We see the...
Heritage Trades in high demand | Industry news
The skills of yesteryear are still desperately needed today but a lack of awareness means few people are training for what are often very lucrative careers. Such is the demand that experts say workers can virtually name their price, with many people offered jobs...
Contractors Course Update
Given Consumer Business Services (CBS) decision to increase the number of units required to apply for a contractor’s license, we have made the decision to no longer run our weekend contractor’s course. Tradies are now required to complete 6 units of study. Details of...
Governments COVID ‘Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements’ and Incentives Information
Below is some information on the various initiatives the Federal Government announced last week. This information has been copied from a media release. In South Australia, there are 2 apprenticeship brokers to choose from to sign up a new apprentice or get advice...
Get ready to become a bricklaying apprentice
FCTA - Building Careers is currently developing a short 4-week course to help students gain bricklaying apprenticeships. There are currently 12 employers in South Australia looking to hire junior apprentices. All you need to do is register your interest by emailing...
Covid19 Update – We are still open for apprentices & onsite visits
Our trade school at Holden Hill is still open for apprentices to attend training. To ensure we comply with social distancing requirements, we are requesting employers and /or apprentices contact us to book in beforehand. Our trainers are also available to come onsite...
Save time & money – apply for your contractors license BEFORE 30th June 2020
Tradies wanting to apply for a builders or contractor’s license will need to complete more training courses. Currently, applicants are required to complete 2 business courses. From 1 July 2020 this will increase to 6 business courses. The change has been brought in to...
Pre-apprenticeship Course Starts 31st March 2020
Interested in becoming a tradie? Pre-apprenticeship courses are a great way to try a range of trades. Our Cert II in Construction (CPC20112) course runs for 10 weeks and covers bricklaying, tiling, plastering and more. Students attend Tuesday - Friday and will have...
Extra incentives available to hire bricklaying apprentices – up to $21,000
If your bricklaying business is growing, there are now $21,000 worth of reasons to hire an apprentice. Apprentices under the age of 21 can be employed at a junior rate with a 3-month probationary period. If you'd rather hire an adult apprentice an additional $4000 is...
National Tiles 2020 Tiler of the Year Awards
In an industry first, National Tiles and Grand Designs Australia, in partnership with our sponsors, are excited to announce the inaugural Tiler of the Year Awards 2020. And the grand prize is a force of nature! The commanding Mazda BT-50 Boss. We are passionate about...
Forty years of the Burra Charter and Australia’s Heritage Vision – history.city by james lesh
As the Burra Charter turns 40, James Lesh looks back at the global influence of its innovative approach to heritage value and asks how it may need to evolve to meet the challenges of future conservation and changing sensibilities. The Burra Charter guides how...
Changes to CITB Funding of Short Courses
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) have been providing subsidies for further training in the Construction Industry for over 25 years. Unfortunately, this financial years budget has been reduced. As a result, some of the costs for our short courses have...
Apprenticeship transfers – proceed with caution
Over the years FCTA has helped hundreds of employers sign up new apprentices. One of the ways we have recommended signing up an apprentice has been via an apprenticeship transfer. The idea behind this seems like a low-risk recommendation, but this year we have seen an...
Pre-Apprenticeship Course Starting 10th September 2019
FCTA - Building Careers is running a Certificate II in Construction (CPC20112) Pre-Apprenticeship Course starting 10th September. The course runs for 10 weeks, Tuesday - Friday commencing 10/09/2019 - 15/11/2019. The SA Government is funding eligible participants via...
New Apprentice Pay Rates July 2019 Guide
Employers and apprentices frequently ask us about their pay rates. How much you get paid is a hot topic at trade school! To help out, we have utilised the FairWork Ombudsman's Pay Rate Tool. This is a free resource and I encourage anyone referring to this page to...
Pool Tiling Is An Elective Unit For Apprentice Tilers
Outside of regional areas, pool tilers tend to be specialists who focus exclusively on pools. This unit is an elective that tilers and their apprentices can undertake at FCTA - Building Careers. We've had apprentices enrolled in both solid plastering and wall &...
Bricklaying Remains The Trade With The Greatest Skills Shortage
The HIA Trades Report provides a quarterly review of the availability of skilled trades and any demand pressures on trades operating in the residential building industry. “Building activity has eased across the east coast over the past year and as a result, the...