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The State Training Board (STB), in collaboration with Community Skills WA (CSWA) explored issues affecting the early childhood education and care sector in regional Western Australia, and how the training sector may be able to assist. To inform this program of work, the STB and CSWA held industry consultation sessions with key stakeholders in the sector. CSWA subsequently prepared the 'Regional early childhood education and care report' [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 152.356] which was endorsed by the STB.

The report provides nine recommended strategies under the following seven key themes: (1) Tightening regional labour markets; (2) Importance of local workforce initiatives and Aboriginal workforce development needs; (3) Targeted promotion of early childhood education career pathways; (4) Untapped labour markets; (5) Barriers of the training and regulatory environment; (6) Housing affordability; and (7) Overseas workforce.

The State Government of Western Australia has already embarked upon addressing many of the recommended strategies in the report, and will continue to focus its efforts on initiatives and programs to further support the sector and increase the pipeline of skilled workers to meet industry's needs.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

Aim: The main objective of this investigation is to explore perceived lack of Lithuanian STEM labour force supply. It is often believed that education systems are the bottleneck of economic growth and that by increasing the supply of STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) graduates we will get more and better payed jobs. But a growing body of evidence suggests that in many STEM fields there is an adequate supply or even oversupply of STEM majors. Still, technologically advanced capitalist countries advocate for more STEM workforce regardless of an overcrowded market. Echoing foreign neoliberal trends, Lithuanian education policy makers are on the same STEM shortage hype-train, and reforms are full steam ahead. Methods: To explore perceived lack of Lithuanian STEM labour force supply an assessment of STEM graduates' (n=3720) occupational destinations one year after graduation and average salaries in those professions was conducted employing a descriptive statistical analysis.

Results: Findings show that there is no general shortage of STEM labour supply; the majority (54 per cent n=2023) of all recent STEM degree holders in Lithuania do not work in STEM jobs. The majority of graduates usually do not reach national average income one year after graduation. Conclusions: Persuasion of students to study STEM degrees based on better labour market outcomes is misleading and possibly unethical. The principal theoretical implication of this paper is the acknowledgment that low STEM graduate employment does not necessarily signify a failing education system. Rather, this is an opportunity to look beyond human capital and labour market discourse which, arguably, prevents STEM education to realize its revolutionary potential.

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This report aims to identify ways in which education and training policy can be harnessed to improve national engineering skills supply and capacity in Australia. To achieve this, we have explored issues associated with the supply of and demand for qualified professionals and para-professionals entering the engineering workforce, such as professional engineers, engineering technologists and associate engineers.

Excerpt from executive summary. Show less

This report measures the skills gap among tourism industry workers and the resulting opportunity costs along the Almaty-Bishkek Economic Corridor (ABEC) in Central Asia. The ABEC is the pilot economic corridor under the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program, a partnership of 11 member countries and development partners working together to promote development through cooperation, leading to accelerated economic growth and poverty reduction. The motivation for ABEC is that Almaty (Kazakhstan) and Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) can achieve far more together than either can achieve alone. The historic Silk Route, mountain ranges, and Lake Issyk-Kul represent a wealth of culture and nature resulting in a high potential for tourism.

The skills gap analysis identifies an annual lack of about 8,500 trained professionals in the tourism industry along the region which is causing opportunity costs of more than $30 million per year. To address this binding constraint for tourism development in ABEC, the authors suggest a long-term twinning-project with an internationally renowned tourism education center of excellence. Reference is made in this report to the European Region Tyrol, South Tyrol, and Trentino - an alpine tourist region spanning across Austria and Italy. The essence of this approach is to ensure solid practical skilling in basic tourism occupations in combination with higher level specializations such as eco-, adventure, or nomadic tourism.

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There is a global demand for health professionals. In developing countries, the health workforce is ageing rapidly. In Australia, 42 per cent of surgeons were aged over 55, and the average age of nurses was 50. Health workforce migration is seen as an answer to short-term domestic labour shortages. In Australia, migrant health workers are often recruited to work in rural, regional and remote areas. Developed countries are looking at specific migration categories that are designed to attract and retain skilled workers. Changes in the rules for international students are also being examined as a way of alleviating the shortages. Australia, like other developed countries, will face increased competition in attracting and retaining skilled health migrants. Show less

Public infrastructure is defined as any structure that is owned by the government or that is developed for the public good. Public infrastructure draws on a range of workers and skills to support delivery from four main infrastructure-based occupational groups: project management professionals; engineers, scientists and architects; structures and civil trades and labour; and finishing trades and labour. Australia has ambitious plans when it comes to investing in public infrastructure. A skilled workforce that is available when required will be pivotal in realising these plans. The proposed rapid expansion of public infrastructure is testing the limits of existing capacity and capability. Signs of shortages are already prevalent across the workforce with demand anticipated to reach unprecedented levels, well beyond the sector's ability to service them. Projections show that at its projected peak in 2023 the infrastructure workforce will be 48 per cent short of demand, a deficit of 93,000 people.

Efforts to grow the workforce are compromised by a range of cultural, geographical, diversity and education issues that constrain the sectors' ability to rapidly grow its workforce. Migration cannot meet the gap alone, and border closures, limitations of visa programs and poor utilisation of existing migrants are additional constraints. As the gap between demand and supply grows, the importance of early action is perspicuous. Many proposed investments are in the early stages of planning, but continued investment without significant expansion of workforce supply risks compounding shortages already evident in the public infrastructure workforce, increasing the risks to delivery of this once in a generation investment pipeline in the years to come. Section 1 of this report provides an overview of the type of workforce needed to design, construct and maintain public infrastructure in Australia. Section 2 outlines the current public infrastructure workforce including the geographic distribution for each occupation category. Section 3 assesses pressures on the current public infrastructure workforce. Section 4 assesses the capacity and capability of the future public infrastructure workforce to meet predicted future workforce demand. Section 5 outlines the constraints to addressing Australia's looming infrastructure workforce shortage through mobilisation of existing workers and growth in new workers.

The initial Market Capacity Program report identifies potential resource challenges and risks from estimated demands from the Major Public Infrastructure Pipeline. The report provides an evidence base to increase understanding of the supply and demand of the skills and materials critical to the pipeline, and associated risks in planning and delivery, to support decision making, and help ensure value for money outcomes from our future infrastructure investments. The challenges and opportunities highlighted through this report underscore the importance of continuing to drive productivity and innovation across government and industry.

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The background to this study is the mismatch between housing supply and demand in Australia. This research seeks to address the following question: What are the key features and trends in the structure, conduct and performance of the core parts of the housing industry and what are the main dimensions of the labour force working in these parts in the context of considerable fluctuations in the level of activity in the housing industry? This paper responds to this question in the following ways: (1) it examines key housing supply trends by considering approvals, commencement and completion times and the value of work done on new dwellings and home improvements; (2) it presents an institutional account of the housing industry by examining industry structure, conduct and performance; (3) it presents an initial analysis of housing sector labour force issues in the context of the broader construction industry labour force; and (4) it begins the process of examining the housing sector labour force in the spatial context of large metropolitan capital cities.

Excerpt from executive summary. Show less

Migration studies analysing firms’ recruitment behaviour are quite limited. This article, built around and examining a demand-driven labour migration hypothesis explores how recruitment decisions by companies can affect international migratory flows. The study focuses on the construction industry, where a foreign (non-domestic, or expatriate) labour force forms a major component. Through a cross-country comparison, we highlight the impact of the characteristics of the sector and of labour market conditions on recruitment decisions impinging on foreign (non-domestic, or expatriate) labour. The article finally suggests a typology of strategies that construction companies may adopt in order to recruit foreign workers, and it analyses those factors that influence the different decisions in each national context. By considering in depth the relationship between recruitment strategies and patterns of international labour mobility, it is then explained why a company’s behaviour can either produce immobility or mobility of foreign workers.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of Sage Publications. Show less

[This] first report in [the authors'] 'Building the lucky country' series, addresses the positive actions business and government can take to maintain momentum in the face of a looming national skills shortage.

In 2002, Ken Henry, Secretary of the Australian Treasury from 2001 to 2011, outlined three supply-side contributors to economic growth known as the 'Three Ps': (1) population – the number of people of working age; (2) participation – the share of those of working age who are willing to work; and (3) productivity – the value generated by an hour's work. This framework now underlies policy thinking in federal government in Canberra and governments around the world. This discussion paper offers 12 levers – four for each of the 'Three Ps' – which business and government can use to solve skills problems and boost growth prospects.

Excerpts from publisher's website and publication.

The 12 levers are: Lever 1: Your next worker is still being educated / Mike Kissane, David Pring, Monish Paul, Andy Peck; Lever 2: Your next worker is in the crowd / Frank Farrall, Matt Kuperholz, Peter Williams; Lever 3: Your next worker is overseas / Peter Barta, Chris Campbell, Donal Graham, Keith Jones, David Murray, Kumar Padisetti; Lever 4: Your next worker is waiting for a visa / Mike Kissane, Sarah Lane, Murray Peck, Mark Wright, Jason White. Participation: Lever 5: Your next worker is retired - or about to retire / Bernard Gild, Craig Holland, Andy Peck, Sandi Caspi Sable, Wayne Walker; Lever 6: Your next worker is juggling work and family / Lisa Barry, Juliet Bourke, Gail Pearce; Lever 7: Your next worker has the ability / Lisa Barry, Juliet Bourke, Simon Cook; Lever 8: Your next worker is interstate / Tim Arbuckle, Jacqui Clarke, Keith Jones, Sarah Lane, Paul Liggins, John Meacock, Tom Richardson. Productivity: Lever 9: Your next worker is not needed / Donal Graham, Dean Grandy, Mike Kissane, Paul Peters, Tom Richardson, Bruce Williamson; Lever 10: Your next worker is in the mail room / Mike Kissane, Andy Peck, Anthony Viel; Lever 11: Your next worker is knocking on your door / David Murray, Nicky Wakefield, Jason White, Anthony Viel; Lever 12: Your next worker may currently be on cruise control / David Brown, Pip Dexter, Al Ramos, Anthony Viel. Show less

This annual report on the energy and telecommunications industries covers the developments of the past 12 months, and presents a five year workforce skills and development outlook for the industry. The immediate priorities for skilling and workforce development are included in this report, providing advice to inform government and industry investments in training and education for the energy and telecommunications industries. Queensland, along with the nation, is undergoing a sustained period of prosperity with more than [AUD] 70 billion in capital investment made in Queensland in 2011. Investment in the construction and operation phases of new resources and mining projects presents many opportunities that, if quickly leveraged, can increase the skills and qualifications of many Queensland and Australian workers for decades to follow. Currently, the energy and telecommunication industries in Queensland employ approximately 148,000 workers, an increase of 12,000 workers over the last 12 months. It is estimated that Queensland employment in these sectors will continue to grow to approximately 158,000 workers over the next 12 months, and potentially to 180,000 people by 2017 if current trends continue. With the planned energy and electricity projects for Queensland in the coming five to 10 years, a potential of 40,000 new jobs could become available over this period. There are a number of key roles and skills sets that will continue to be in shortage over the next five years, and without further investment in apprenticeships and training, the capability and capacity demanded by industry will not be met.

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