Since its launch in late 2010, the Master Builders Foundation has had an immense impact on the lives of apprentices and students in the building industry.

In the six years the Foundation has been operating there have been 89 scholarships awarded, with apprentices benefiting from $213,945 worth of financial assistance.

The scholarships offer a combination of tools and training, with over $86,000 being utilised for training, and over $78,000 worth of tools being given to the apprentices. There is still approximately $50,000 that has yet to be utilised by the scholarship recipients.

These scholarships have helped Master Builders Foundation contribute to an enviable statistic of 96.6 per cent of scholarship recipients still actively involved in the building industry, with only 3.4 per cent having left the industry to pursue different careers. In contrast, the national completion rate of all apprentices is at approximately 50 per cent, indicating the Foundation’s significant role in helping to retain apprentices within our industry.

This graph shows the current progression of the scholarships awarded: 67.7 per cent have completed (includes 15 VCAL students), 6.7 per cent still in progress, 5.6 per cent yet to commence and 20.2 per cent that did not fully utilise their scholarship.

Since the first Foundation scholarship was awarded, the value has increased from $1200 to $2200, to assist with the rising costs of training within the RTOs.

16.8 per cent of all recipients have gone on to become registered builders, including both Limited and Unlimited, with one recipient being registered in both Victoria and NSW.

52.8 per cent of recipients are either working as apprentices or subcontractors, 4.4 per cent are running their own business (non-registered) and 15 per cent have used their scholarship to further their career with their employer, training to become site supervisors.

An analysis of regional versus metropolitan recipients shows that more apprentices in the metropolitan areas access the scholarships (67.8 per cent) versus those in regional areas (32.2 per cent). Interestingly however, of the recipients who did not complete their scholarship, 72.2 per cent are metropolitan, indicating that regional recipients are more likely to fully utilise their scholarship.

The Foundation is delighted to be able to offer these scholarships, and looks forward to hearing how the apprentices have put them to good use. If you would like to make your own contribution to the career of an apprentice, please contact the Master Builders Foundation to donate on (03) 9411 4555.

Source: Master Builders Foundation paper by Tony Biffaro and Jarrod Flanigan