TALENTED workers like Launceston's James Noden should be congratulated for their achievements.
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The 24-year-old won the state apprentice of the year award at the 2015 Master Builders Tasmania Excellence Awards at the weekend.
Mr Noden, who works for Vos Construction and Joinery, was quoted as saying that he found the industry rewarding and hopes to continue his career in the state.
Apprentices are the future of our industries and their contribution to the state's economy in the future is much more important than simply how much tax they pay to its coffers.
In 2013, the Fair Work Commission ruled that apprentices receive pay rises of up to $100 a week.
That means the typical first-year apprentice wage rose from about $300 a week to $400 a week - almost a 30 per cent jump.
Not surprisingly, employers were outraged by the decision and warned that increased employment costs would adversely affect the number of apprenticeships available.
As an example, a first-year apprentice hairdresser working a 38-hour week in Tasmania can expect to earn just over $10 an hour - or about $382.66 a week before tax - or $19,898.32 a year.
That's not a lot, particularly if you have to factor in paying for tools of trade, buying and running a car, paying rent, paying for a mobile phone, buying food, paying bills, etc.
Youth Allowance is somewhere in the vicinity of $420 a fortnight, but then you would still be entitled to rent allowance, a healthcare card and a raft of other concessions.
No one would argue that having a job isn't important and it's obviously preferable for the vast majority. But the rewards for working must still be visible and tangible. And they must be enough to keep those workers in the industry and in the state.
Recent figures from Skills Tasmania highlight a steady decline in the number of apprentices working in the state's building and construction industries. This alarming fall must be addressed quickly.
Without apprentices coming through to replace retiring tradies, respective industries will suffer, as will local economies that rely on having suitably trained workers, which in turn pay taxes and hire more staff.
It is paramount that apprenticeships are promoted and encouraged by business, and in turn those apprenticeships positions must remain an attractive proposition.