A positive reaction in the trades followed the Government's promise to make its Apprenticeship Boost scheme permanent.

The programme —which was introduced during the pandemic— was set to finish this year.

It pays employers 500 dollars per month for the first two years of an apprenticeship to support training their employees.

Registered Master Builders Federation Chief Executive David Kelly told Mike Hosking that it's been key to the sector's growth, with the number of apprentices in construction up by almost 40 percent in the first two years.

Kelly says their own survey showed nearly 40-percent of members believed the scheme was critical to taking on new staff.

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