Eligible Logan construction employers could receive up to $16,000 for taking on an apprentice from 1 August, as national figures show fewer trade apprenticeships are being started and remaining active.
Housing Industry Association future workforce executive director Mike Hermon said Australia needed about 83,000 additional skilled tradespeople to meet projected housing demand.
“If Australia is serious about meeting its housing targets, we need to keep growing the skilled workforce that builds our homes,” Mr Hermon said in a statement.
That challenge has direct implications for Logan.
Economy.id estimates 18,536 construction jobs were located in Logan in 2024/25, accounting for 13.5 per cent of local jobs and making construction the city’s second-largest employing industry.
Construction was also Logan’s largest business sector by number, accounting for 24.3 per cent of registered businesses in 2025.
Logan also faces a substantial housing build.
Figures from the Logan Office of Economic Development show 4024 dwellings were approved in 2024/25, with Logan recording Queensland’s second-highest number of approvals between July 2025 and February 2026, behind Moreton Bay.
The office estimates the city will need about 98,000 additional dwellings by 2046 to meet its housing target.
National Centre for Vocational Education Research data presents a mixed picture.
The six-year completion rate for trade apprenticeships that began in 2019 reached 58.7 per cent, up slightly from 58.3 per cent for the previous cohort.
Annual trade completions also rose 8.1 per cent to 53,390 in the year to December 2025, which National Centre for Vocational Education Research attributed to higher commencement numbers in earlier years.
However, annual trade commencements fell 4.2 per cent to 76,585, marking the third consecutive yearly decline.
Active trade-training contracts fell 5.2 per cent, while construction-trade contracts in training dropped 6.7 per cent to 59,355.
Under TradieStart, incentives will be available for the first 2,500 eligible construction apprenticeships starting or recommencing from 1 August.
Of these, 1,500 places are reserved for small businesses with fewer than 20 staff, turnover under $10 million and no previous record of employing an apprentice under a Queensland training contract.
Those businesses can receive $10,000 for an apprentice aged under 21 or $14,000 for someone aged 21 or older.
An additional $2000 is available when the apprentice is a woman, veteran, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person, or person with disability.
Small-business employers must also complete a free TAFE Queensland micro-credential before claiming payment.
The remaining 1000 places are for medium and large businesses and group training organisations hiring apprentices from those priority groups.
The money will not be paid immediately.
An apprentice must first complete probation, generally about 90 days, before the employer registers.
Half the incentive is paid after six months of employment and the remainder after 18 months.
“HIA estimates Australia still needs around 83,000 additional skilled tradespeople to build the homes needed over the coming years,” Mr Hermon said
“The residential building industry was competing for skilled workers against some of the nation’s biggest investment projects.
“Residential builders are no longer just competing with each other. They’re competing with major transport infrastructure, renewable energy projects, AUKUS, mining developments, transmission upgrades and the rapid expansion of data centres.
“Every one of those projects is chasing the same electricians, carpenters, plumbers and other skilled trades our industry depends on.”
The state government estimates that TradieStart and an expanded Small Business Apprenticeship Program will support 4,500 construction apprentices, made up of 2,500 new TradieStart places and 2,000 wage-subsidy spots.
However, the existing program can also cover apprentices who started from 1 July 2025, meaning some funding may support existing apprentices rather than new hires.
TradieStart begins one month after Queensland ended its building and construction training policy, which previously set apprentice and trainee targets on eligible public projects.
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