TACKLING ISSUES: At the breakfast yesterday were (from left) Dean Connell from Tyco Water, Fitweld Engineering’s Clyde Hawkins, Workforce Victoria’s Graham Scott and David Nelson from Claydon Canvas.
Manufacturers look for some solutions
Written by STEVEN BURKE.
FURTHER steps towards solving local skills shortages were taken yesterday, with local manufacturers coming together to work through the problem.
The State Government recently allocated $60,000 towards a Workforce Victoria project to identify solutions to skills shortages in the North East, after local employers identified the challenges faced in attracting and retaining quality staff.
Representatives from six local manufacturers, including Bruck and Tyco Water, attended a breakfast to talk about the issues.
Manager of Tyco Water’s Wang Components, Dean Connell, said his company, which employs 50 people, was concerned about the availability of skilled workers.
"We have experienced difficulty in getting good skilled labor, and that has been an ongoing issue," he said.
"One of the problems we have is, with an ageing workforce, it is hard to bridge that gap to the younger generation coming through.
"We believe manufacturing is not promoted well enough in the education system as a good career option for students."
David Nelson from Claydon Canvas said he hadn’t faced any problems yet, but fears he will as his business continues to grow.
"We’ve gone from one employee to five in 12 months," he said.
"And if we continue to expand, I think there would be problems in getting the right kind of people with the right skills."
Graham Scott is heading up the Workforce Victoria program, and said he hoped his team would come up with strategies to help overcome any skills shortages by September.
"We are also having breakfasts with representatives from the aged care sector and the construction industry in the coming weeks," he said.
|