A skilled workforce - what's the solution?
The skills shortages now afflicting the workforce were predicted back in the 1980's but few people in that era of double-digit unemployment could imagine candidates ever being in short supply. So preventative action wasn't taken and the situation was aggravated by savage cuts in training budgets whenever the economy tightened.
The recent release of the Olivier internet job index for July reveals a three-year record high in new jobs advertised against a background of record low unemployment. Major growth is in the trades and services sector while jobs for professionals and other white-collar workers fell. This data supports the ACTU's concern that there will be a national shortage of a quarter of a million trades people over the next decade.
With demand for labour increasing in virtually every sector the future looks particularly encouraging in one sense but in another sense it is going to be affected by significant skill shortages.
Several factor have contributed to the skills shortages over the last two decades: recession-related training cuts, a decline in public sector employment, privatization of public utilities, a number of major projects under construction and in particular the north west shelf and in Queensland, and the move away from encouraging people into trades. Additionally, ABS research shows more than 500,000 trades people are not currently working in their trade.
The reality is there is no short-term fix. You can't breed trades people overnight. They have to undergo a three-year apprenticeship and it takes a further three to six years to really develop those skills. Even with a massive influx of apprentices, education would be a problem. With the decline in people taking up apprenticeships over the last two decades, many technical colleges have become quasi-universities promoting more academic disciplines. There is also a shortage of qualified teachers.
In order to retain and attract trades people we will need a range of initiatives including creating opportunities to learn new skills within trades, identifying career path opportunities to make trades more attractive, implementing mentoring programs, improving and promoting the image of trades, increasing the availability of trade careers information through schools and establishing more flexible working and training arrangements.
The EastCoast Human Resource Group is a specialist recruitment consultancy and careers advisory service. For more information call 07 5443 6022 or visit http://www.eastcoasthr.com.au/
We specialise in placing exceptional staff for a fee on a permanent or temporary basis. Recruitment service details.
We offer the most professional career services including career assessment, career success coaching, job search strategies, resume preparation, and interview coaching. Career services information.
We specialise in placing exceptional staff for a fee on a permanent or temporary basis. Recruitment service details.
We offer the most professional career services including career assessment, career success coaching, job search strategies, resume preparation, and interview coaching. Career services information.
