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    TAFE NSW Wollongong | 20 April 2026

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    Leading Illawarra builder urges parents to back trades careers

    'The truth is, not everyone can be a scholar and when you look around, many of the locals driving big cars and towing big boats are actually tradies.'
    Ken Tugrul, Illawarra builder

    A leading Illawarra builder has urged parents to step up and play a role addressing the worsening local trades skills shortage. Ken Tugral, Managing Director of Illawarra construction company, said this could be helped by encouraging children to pursue a career “on the tools.”

    Mr. Tugral said many parents were under the illusion that university was the only path to a rewarding career. This is despite data showing tradies earn higher wages than uni graduates by their mid-20s, have better job satisfaction and enjoy higher employment prospects.

    As a bricklayer in the mid-1980s, Mr. Tugral said there's a lingering stigma around trades. This means that many parents are blind to the opportunities available.

    Illawarra builder, Ken Tugrul, from TDK Corporation stands in front of a newly laid grey brick wall. He wears a white hard hat and an orange hi-vis safety vest. Ken is smiling directly at the camera. His grey hair is visible on either side of his hard hat.

    “I’m not sure if it’s ego or snobbery, but some parents just seem to think their kids can’t be successful unless they go to university,” Mr Tugrul said. “The truth is, not everyone can be a scholar and when you look around, many of the locals driving big cars and towing big boats are actually tradies.”

    “Parents need to sit back and really think about whether learning a trade at TAFE NSW would be a better option for their child. There’s such a shortage of tradies out there and it’s only getting worse.”

    Mr Tugrul, who sends his bricklaying apprentices exclusively to TAFE NSW Wollongong, said a trade qualification was a passport to a long and rewarding career. “TAFE NSW just does it better; they have the facilities and they have the teachers with real industry experience,” he said.

    “As a bricklayer, you leave a physical legacy. I can drive around Wollongong with my grandson and show him the things that I’ve built. It’s such a meaningful career. Yet we're desperate for apprentices. If a young person walked into my office today, I’d give them a start straight away.”

    TAFE NSW Wollongong bricklaying teacher Mick Mattesius does regular school career talks with Mr Tugrul to highlight bricklaying careers. He said there was never a better time to join the trade.

    “We’re in the middle of a construction boom and we need this new generation of bricklayers to come through to keep the construction industry going,” he said.

    “Older bricklayers are ready for retirement after serving a prosperous career in industry and are looking to get out of the industry.”

    "It’s a wonderful trade and there are so many opportunities for a rewarding career.”

    Media contact: Dan Johns, TAFE NSW Communications Specialist, 02 7920 5000.

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