WA needed to significantly increase apprenticeship and training programs if its workforce was to keep pace with technological change, according to veteran building educator Henry Kennerson.

Kennerson said a well-trained and competent workforce was essential for Australia to compete internationally, but there were not enough training programs available in Perth. He argued industry also had a responsibility to share the cost of training and said apprenticeships and education programs could be expensive in the short term but were an investment in the country's future.

With the economy in a downturn, Kennerson said it would take considerable effort to consolidate existing skills and qualifications. He warned that education could not be treated as something that ended after formal schooling, with workers needing ongoing training throughout their careers to keep up with new developments and technology.

Kennerson had spent more than 43 years in the building and education industries after entering the trade as an apprentice carpenter and joiner. After four years in the RAAF during World War II, he completed his builder's examinations and later joined Leederville TAFE, where he eventually became principal.

He was chairman of the Roy Collins Seniors' Centre in Mount Lawley and had recently received an Order of Australia Medal for his contribution to education and the building industry. The 1991 honours record confirms Henry Douglas Kennerson received the OAM for service to education, particularly administration, and to the building industry.