HIA supports Future of Housing Construction Centre of Excellence
“The Housing Industry Association (HIA) welcomes the establishment of the Future of Housing Construction Centre of Excellence, which will provide an important platform for industry to learn and develop the skills that will shape the construction of our future homes,” said Simon Croft, HIA Chief Executive Industry & Policy.
“This $50 million investment to establish this latest Centre of Excellence in Melbourne focussing on Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), will play a vital role in equipping the construction workforce with the skills needed for the future.
“The Centre will facilitate new and emerging forms of construction, including prefab, modular and even 3D printing and other innovations across the sector, and further advance the goal to build 1.2 million homes within five years.
“HIA previously undertook leading research to identify barriers that are holding up greater uptake of prefabrication and modular construction. One of the key matters identified was that our regulatory and training systems have been developed with traditional stick by stick on-site construction in mind.
“This initiative announced today can further unlock those barriers by enabling our training systems to better recognise these emerging forms of construction and provide the tools to upskill the industry to streamline the adoption of MMC into more projects.
“The Centre can ensure these advancements are embedded in the training of new workers, enabling them to lead the way in modern construction practices.
“This initiative will ensure the skills of the construction workforce continue to evolve, supporting a stronger, more innovative housing sector,” concluded Mr Croft.
