Work and Skills for the future – Training must match Jobs!
Research shows that the five industries with the brightest futures are:
– Healthcare – Aged/Disability/Child Care
– Construction
– Education & Training
– Tourism & Travel
– Agriculture
The Mid North Coast and in particular ‘Regional City’ Coffs Harbour has a strong representation of these industries.
The top jobs in ten years’ time reflect these industries and include: registered nurses, accountants, teachers, administrators, managers, child, disabled & aged carers, trades/construction workers.
Shortages of skilled staff in several industries have been on the (political) agenda for several years and it is safe to say that it is recognized on national and state level as a serious thread for sustainable economic growth.
Recently some new alarming figures were published about another decline in new Australian Apprenticeship commencements: down by almost 20% compared to year ago. If this issue of skills shortage will not be addressed in the short term, there will be a serious problem in a few years: a lack of qualified employees to work in jobs that will be in high demand.
There are many current and planned regional projects in the construction industry in our region, one of the identified growth sectors:
– Residential construction
– Commercial construction
– Infrastructure construction
There are different jobs available in the (civil) construction industry, including qualified trades professionals, labourers, office support and supervisors/managers. But what are the requirements from employers, what are employers looking for? Depending on the specific job, employers will look at the following from candidates:
– Qualifications/tickets
– Experience: general and/or specific
– General skills: employability skills (e.g. communication, team work, self-management, initiative)
Experience may be relevant, but isn’t always an essential requirement. Some jobs ask for qualified staff, some employers offer apprenticeships/traineeships where employees learn on-the-job. For other jobs employers are after specific skill sets, i.e. (Workcover) tickets or licences. Examples of these are: licenses to operate forklift, dogging, excavator, roller, cranes, traffic control. A benefit of these tickets is that they are courses that can be completed in a few days and the employee can start on the job almost immediately.
General skills are always important for employers, and they will screen on employability skills that are relevant for the specific jobs. Employers will go through many of these skills during the induction period of staff.
Employers in the identified growth industries have the best job prospects. Good preparation/home work, the right attitude and persistency are key success factors for job seekers.