Skill needs in the West

The first stage of the Skills and Jobs for Melbourne's West project has identified there will be marked growth in the West of Melbourne working age population over the coming decade, when compared to the rest of Australia. Strong levels of employment are required to support this population. However, the jobs worked in by West of Melbourne residents will increasingly be outside the West and be predominantly in Inner Melbourne. Increasing levels of commuting has a large social and economic cost. Despite the outward movement of West of Melbourne residents for work, two thirds of respondents to an employer survey said they are facing a skills gap 'now' or foresee they will struggle to hire skilled staff 'in the future'. The challenges faced by employers in the West of Melbourne are not only a lack of skilled people: there are issues in staff retention, career development, progression and building employees' skills. A related challenge is that only a third of employers responding to the survey had links with education and training providers, impeding their ability to use training to overcome some of these challenges. This paradox of large scale commuting to work outside the West of Melbourne, alongside a local skills shortage, is largely due to a mismatch of skills. The skills currently needed within the West of Melbourne do not closely align with the skills possessed by the West of Melbourne population. There is a need to increase local employment opportunities for West of Melbourne residents, and to ensure these residents have the specific skills local employers are seeking. This includes fostering effective linkages between employees, employers, training providers and government.

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