We're in the news again, this time in relation to the almost complete lack of bridging training for migrant plumbers who want to work in WA.

Under the headline "Training blockage hits WA plumbers", an article in today's The West Australian tells how the general shortage of skilled workers is being made worse because overseas-trained plumbers can't find skills gap training courses here.

As the article explains, migrants must complete the skills gap training before they can work as plumbers in WA. However, this mandatory course is only offered by one private training provider and is unavailable through TAFE.

The article quotes our CEO Murray Thomas, who said "This is a real necessity for us that we get these migrants trained in the system and our concern is that we need to be able to have enough providers for training for the numbers that may come into the State."

It also mentions the discussions we have had the WA Government about this issue. Our position is that WA must offer easy access to migrant skills gap training to help local licensed plumbing contractors overcome the skills shortage. The lack of staff means many of our members are having difficulty operating their businesses and providing the services their customers require.