UTS and Multiplex partner to create construction career pathways for refugees and migrants

A collaborative partnership between the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), industry and government is leveraging cross-sector expertise and Multiplex’s Connectivity Centre model to help address one of Australia’s biggest challenges – the shortage of skilled workers needed to deliver more homes.

The new Australian Workplace Readiness Pilot Program brings together industry, government, education providers, community organisations and employment services to connect refugees and migrants with practical pathways into construction. It helps unlock the valuable skills that already exist by providing participants with local knowledge, industry connections and workplace readiness needed to gain meaningful employment.

A graduation ceremony for the first 21 pilot participants was held last week with NSW Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education, Steve Whan MP at the University of Technology Sydney.

“Through the program we have come to understand the distinct barriers faced by this group of candidates - but no single organisation can address these barriers alone," said our NSW Employee Relations Manager Dave Higgon.

"With the right industry partners, our long-standing relationships with UTS, significant research, and the experience gained from this pilot, we are confident we have the solutions required to support motivated migrants and refugees to pursue a career in construction.”

It's a significant endorsement of the cross-sector collaboration model that Multiplex has been refining for more than a decade. Multiplex Connectivity Centres bring together job seekers, employment agencies and support services to create pathways into work on its projects and beyond. Since launching the first Connectivity Centre in 2008, Multiplex has operated 14 centres across Australia.

The Pilot builds on ongoing and rigorous research by UTS into the wider social impact of the model, including how cross-sector collaboration can help industry leverage Australia's construction pipeline to address workforce challenges and youth unemployment.

It also reflects Multiplex's strategic focus on creating pathways to employment, with evidence showing the lasting impact sustainable work and self-sufficiency has on people's lives and the communities in which they live.