The Scaffolding Association Australia (SAA) has opened a nationwide survey covering recruitment, workforce development, qualifications and the accessibility and effectiveness of existing training.
The findings will inform the association’s discussions with BuildSkills Australia, as well as its engagement with governments, training organisations and other industry stakeholders.
SAA said it wants responses from across the sector, including scaffolders, supervisors, employers, trainers, assessors, engineers, designers, safety professionals, principal contractors and suppliers.
Training system under review
The survey asks how people enter and progress through scaffolding, where current training works well and where access or delivery problems remain.
It also covers workforce and skills shortages, the abilities required of modern scaffolders and possible future models including apprenticeships, traineeships, smaller skill sets and microcredentials.
Respondents are being asked whether existing scaffolding training products and standards should be formally reviewed, and what benefits or difficulties different training models could create.
SAA said broad participation would give it a stronger evidence base when pressing for future training and qualification arrangements.
Part of a wider trade-status push
The review follows SAA’s recent campaign for scaffolding to gain formal skilled-trade recognition and for Australia to develop a structured national apprenticeship and qualification pathway.
Association representatives raised those issues during meetings at Parliament House in Canberra in August.
The new survey does not itself create an apprenticeship or change scaffolding’s official status. Its immediate purpose is to establish what the industry needs and provide evidence for the next stage of discussions.
The survey opened on 14 September and closes on 9 October 2026. SAA estimates that it will take between 15 and 20 minutes to complete.
