Employer Luke Dodds of Dodds Electrix with first year apprentice Evan Robinson

Construction is proving to be a popular trade with Colac and district school leavers.

Westvic Staffing Solutions chief executive Miles Coverdale said a quarter of the company's January intake of apprentices was in the construction industry.

Mr Coverdale said the building industry was also the most popular for the same period last year, with about 50 new apprentices in the Colac Otway and Corangamite shires.

"Construction continues to be strong," he said.

"It's interesting how close it is to last year and it's in the same voactions as well, it probably reflects in some ways the demography of the area."

Mr Coverdale said Westvic's second-most popular sector for apprenticeships and traineeships was agriculture, which attracted about 40 new workers last month, with business third.

"Last year hospitality was the third-largest group, but this year it's about the sixth," he said.

"It's still one of the areas that's quite difficult to fill with qualified staff."

Victorian Group Training general manager Andrew McCarthy said construction was also the organisation's most popular trade in Colac and district, the Surf Coast and Geelong this year.

"There's just a lot happening, especially with the growth in Armstrong Creek happening in the next couple of years, builders are looking to put on apprentices because they know there's going to be growth in those areas," Mr McCarthy said.

"Colac always seems to be steady and on the up," he said.

"People are keen and wanting to get a qualification because they know it's a good industry, especially building and construction.

"Our assignment numbers were more than what they were last January."

Mr McCarthy said retail and hospitality traineeships were also in demand, and the organisation had a positive outlook for school-based apprentices.

One of the district's new apprentices is Colac's Evan Robinson, who started his training with Westvic Staffing Solutions last week, with Dodds Electrix as his host employer.

Evan, 18, said he did an electrical vocational subject while he was at Colac Secondary College.

"I did a VET in it and liked it.  I like that it's hands-on," he said.

"It's a good career."