Getting the most out of our workforce

Industry, universities and government all need to work together if Australia is to address its need for skilled workers in the future. This may require strategies that thus far have not been extensively used by industry, but that are needed if anticipated skills shortages are to be addressed.

In its recent submission to the National Resources Sector Employment Taskforce's "Resourcing the future" discussion paper, the ATN has advocated measures designed to strengthen connections between universities and industry in order to provide a better quality of education for students; open up opportunities for existing workers to increase their skills and qualifications; and increase both the number and quality of skilled workers available to industry.

ATN Executive Director, Ms Vicki Thomson, said that with Australia’s ageing population only increasing pressure around skills shortages, it is time to start looking at solutions beyond the status quo.

“While we have initially raised these issues in regards to the resources sector, they are intended to provide benefits to the Australian economy across the board”, Ms Thomson said. “Retraining existing workers will assist greatly in addressing skills shortages, and we are very pleased to see that Government is also thinking along these lines, as the announcement of the Critical Skills Investment Fund in the Budget demonstrates.

“We also believe there is a great deal of potential to be explored in co-operative education programs, where students combine study with paid internships for which they receive course credit, and government provides tax benefits to the employer. Such programs have been very successful overseas, and we feel that they have the potential to be equally valuable for both students and industry in Australia.

“They also allow universities to make more efficient use of teaching space and lecturer’s time – a not insignificant benefit, with the upcoming expansion of the university education sector already causing concerns in that regard.”

The full ATN submission can be accessed here