New data has found that regional Australian communities are among those benefitting from a growing pipeline of housing construction apprentices, who are receiving direct backing from the Albanese Government to help build more homes in regional Australia.

In the 14 months since the Government launched the Key Apprenticeship Program – which provides $10,000 in incentive payments for new apprentices in housing construction trades, split into five payments over the course of the apprenticeship – 11,918 new apprentices have had their start in these trades across regional Australia.

This represents over 30 per cent of overall take up of the housing construction stream of the program, which also provides the employer of the apprentice – around 85 per cent of which are a small business – incentive payments as well.

Carpentry and joinery apprenticeships are the most popular commencements in the housing stream for regional Australia at 40 per cent, followed by plumbing (18 per cent) and electrical trades (13 per cent).

Regional New South Wales has seen 3,360 housing construction apprenticeship commencements in the program so far, alongside 3,220 from regional Queensland and 3,010 from regional Victoria.

The Albanese Government is continuing to back apprentices and employers through the Key Apprenticeship Program, with the 2026-27 Budget locking in the Program until 2029, including targeted incentives from 2027 for small and medium-sized businesses and Group Training Organisations.

Visit www.apprenticeships.gov.au to learn more about the Program.

As at 6 October 2026.