Now there’s a shortage |
 DRIVING THE INDUSTRY: Bradley Lloyd of Lidcombe College in Sydney and Terry Parsons of Key Knife South Pacific spoke at the ‘Skills and Training’ workshop at the recent SAWTECH 2007 conference in Melbourne. They say a ‘whole-hearted’ approach is needed to address the skills shortage currently affecting the Australian saw-mill industry. Written by Louise Preece. THE demand for skilled saw-doctors across Australia has never been greater, with a growing number of young people opting to leave the industry in the chase for more attractive career paths. At the recent SAWTECH 2007 conference held in Melbourne, the question of recruitment was posed to leading saw-doctors from around the world and it seems that industry experts are not taking the labor challenge sitting down. Not just an issue in Australia, the skilled saw-doctor shortage appears to be a universal problem, with graduate numbers falling rapidly. However, in New Zealand they offer a more-rounded educational experience with apprentices spending time in different parts of the saw-mill operation over a four year time period and experts are saying that Australians should follow suit and offer more to the potential saw-doctor. Terry Parsons, director of Key Knife South Pacific spoke at the practical workshop ‘Skills and Training,’ and was adamant the main problem with recruiting and retaining qualified workers was the lack of career path possibilities available within the saw-mill industry. "Management is complaining they can’t get saw-doctors – yet at the end of the day they aren’t setting up attractive career pathways, where there is room to improve," Mr Parsons said. "We have to ask ourselves what we expect of a saw-doctor in the future and part of that answer is that they must be qualified in all areas of saw operation and they must be passionate about the job they are performing. "Training also has to be modernised to include new advancements in saw preparations and wood-cutting." With formal training for saw-doctors over the last 10 years remaining in the status quo with new technologies, there is a long way to go before labor issues will be solved. "If you are a manager you have to get involved with future requirements and if you don’t have the technology – send your apprentices out to get the training they need," he said. The saw-mill industry is often described as a drift industry, with the best of those workers eventually moved in the saw-shop. Mr Parsons said because of that ‘drift’ factor, it is extremely important for bosses to push workers to take that extra step, which should involve both completing formal education and accepting higher responsibilities. "At the moment, senior people are leaving the industry and the younger ones want to do something else, so a change is desperately needed to move forward," he said. Bradley Lloyd, saw-doctoring teacher at Lidcombe College in Sydney, said there is currently three to four saw-doctors graduating every year, with two of those staying to develop their skills over a ten year period. "It has reached a point where we are in a critical skill shortage and we need a whole-hearted approach from across the industry to attract young people and entice them to stay," said Mr. Lloyd. He believed training saw-doctors through a mixture of methods will result in a more competent and confident worker and will be better for the industry. "We also need more professional development of key trainers on the side of skills acquisition, because they are the ones passing vital information on to the next generation," he said. A full national approach seems the answer to the problem and with the recently revamped Australian Saw-Doctors Education Association, the industry has made a promising start towards improvement. Mr Parsons is a member of the resurrected association and said the group’s main aim now is to bring the saw-mill industry together and improve skill development right across the board. "I think it’s a great industry, but we need to get motivated again and bring about change from the top to the bottom of the chain," he said. |
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