Construction industry joins forces for veterans
The NSW Government has held its first annual Veterans Employment Roundtable at the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park with a focus on transitioning veterans from the Defence Force into the construction industry.
Minister for Transport, Veterans and Western Sydney David Elliott today met with the Civil Contractors Federation, Master Builders Association and Housing Industry Association along with veterans support and employment organisations to discuss veterans career opportunities after their service.
“Today I met with leaders within the construction industry to discuss how veterans can ply their trade, using the skills they have learnt while serving in the Australian Defence Force.” Mr Elliott said.
“Approximately 1,200 personnel transition from the Australian Defence Force into NSW annually and each veteran has a transferable skillset that enables them to work across a great range of varying roles.”
“The construction industry is booming with many projects around our State. Veterans are employable and have the skills and attributes to contribute to roles in all sectors.”
As part of the development of the NSW Veterans Strategy, a NSW Veterans Employment Roundtable was to be convened annually. Previous Roundtables have been held in 2020 and 2021 and focused on work that government can do in partnership with private employers towards increasing collaboration and ultimately veteran’s finding meaningful employment.
This year’s Roundtable had a special focus on veterans working in the construction industry, and was attended by various organisations willing to work together and support veteran employment opportunities.
“We understand it can be challenging for some former Australian Defence Force personnel to find work after their service. We want to ensure our veterans enjoy a smooth transition from military service to civilian life. Today’s discussions centered on collaborative opportunities and a way forward for veterans looking for post service employment.” Mr Elliott said.
CEO of the Civil Contractors Federation David Castledine is a veteran himself and served with the Royal Australian Navy.
"Veterans are highly skilled, extremely adaptive, and come with an outstanding work ethic. The civil industry, being very process and compliance focused, greatly values such attributes. With a workforce shortage and a civil contractor working in every town in the State, there is great opportunity in our industry for these amazing people.” Mr Castledine said.
“Civil Contractors Federation NSW looks forward to assisting and enabling veterans to transition into the civil construction industry through our Veterans in Civil Program, which encourages more veterans to join the industry and to inform and support employers in the veteran recruiting process."
More information on the NSW Government Veterans Employment Program available here.
