Construction Courses – Green Cards and More

Construction Courses – Green Cards and More Working in construction, particularly as a labourer, is a great way to earn good money quickly. However, as is the case in hospitality, you need to do certain construction courses to attain qualifications before you can start working on construction or building sites.

Different states in Australia require construction workers to attain different qualifications before they can start work. In New South Wales, workers need a White Card (usually referred to as the Green Card, which was the old version of the qualification), in Victoria it is a Red Card and in Queensland it is a Blue Card. Construction workers in Western Australia now also need a Blue Card to be allowed onto a site. The construction courses to achieve these cards cover general health and safety information and usually last around half a day.
Depending which state you are in, the courses can cost anywhere from $100 – $130. However, it will be money well-spent as you will not get onto a site without the appropriate documentation. It’s important to remember that different states will accept some qualifications attained outside their own boundaries, but not others.
For example, the Victorian Red Card can be used to work in NSW and Queensland, with Victoria also accepting the qualifications from those two states. The WA qualification has only recently been introduced and is only accepted in WA.

This means that if you are planning to work in different states, it’s important to check where you can and can’t use your card.
Another good way to earn cash is to work as a traffic controller at roadwork sites. Again, this requires a safety and information course that will last around half a day, and cost around $150.
If you work in a trade and have qualifications outside Australia, it’s also vital that you ensure that these are acceptable to Australian employers.
The government-run Australian Education International website, www.aei.gov.au , is an excellent resource for checking construction courses and to see if you can use your current qualifications.