Helping young Aucklanders build new careers
What is #BuildAKL?
The #BuildAKL campaign is an initiative that aims to get Auckland’s young people into employment in the thriving construction and infrastructure industry.
#BuildAKL has been developed by Auckland’s construction and infrastructure sector employers, in partnership with Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) – as part of a commitment to ensuring our youth are entering employment, education and training.
Getting more young Aucklanders into construction and infrastructure is a win-win – it will help address a serious skills shortage in the industry and provide a huge range of jobs and career pathways for young people starting out.
The campaign raises awareness of the number and diversity of roles within the sector, from entry-level jobs to apprenticeships and skilled jobs requiring qualifications. #BuildAKL is for all Aucklanders aged 16-24, with a particular focus on attracting more young women, Māori and Pasifika into the sector.
The construction and infrastructure sector
As our population grows, Auckland’s construction industry is also growing at an amazing rate.
- Auckland had a population of approximately 1.5 million in 2013 – this is forecast to grow by 716,000 over the next 30 years, to 2.2 million in 2040.*
- Auckland’s growing population means we need 400,000 more homes by 2040.
- The industry employed 60,500 people in 2015, making it one of the largest Auckland employers. Employment in the industry is anticipated to increase by 32,000 over the next couple of years **.
- Beyond 2018, construction employment growth will remain strong because of continuing demand and workforce attrition***. This growth provides an opportunity to increase industry youth employment and sustainable career pathways, to support Auckland’s economic development.
- Auckland’s construction and infrastructure skills needs are changing as infrastructure needs become more sophisticated, housing construction moves from single dwellings to medium and higher density, and digital technologies such as building information management and virtual reality requiring different technical and relationship and communication skills.