Critical skills shortage softens

Its a global problem, apparently. This lack of trained and qualified tradespeople, and its not just in the electrical field.

Paul Jeurissen, Manukau Institute of Technologys director of Technology has been in trades training for nearly 13 years. He believes that the current situation in this country is anything but unique.

Unquestionably, there is a shortage. Australia is a draw with its apparently higher salaries, but this is, he believes, simply the local impact of a global shortage.

Gone are the days too when a youngster leaving school signed on for an apprenticeship with the railways, the Ministry of Works, Telecom or the local authority.

Through the mid-90s and even into the 21st century, the glittering computer industry soaked up many who might otherwise have gone into the trades.

Significantly, a number of the students in their mid- to late-20s signing up for MITs trades courses include those who have become disillusioned with the promised cyber Eldorado.

I think you could say that many newly graduated computer engineers have not been earning the salaries they envisioned and have fallen back on the more traditional trades. We welcome them, as they will be multi-skilled on graduation, and hopefully bring the benefits of both disciplines to a hungry market.

'n-bust in the trades, which deterred many youngsters from following in Dads footsteps, are over for the foreseeable future.

In my twelve-and-a-half years in training in Auckland it has been anything but cyclical. There has been no sign of that boom-'n-bust scenario at all. Its just been steadily increasing. The shortfall created in the late '80s means we now have a chronic shortage of middle-aged skilled and experienced tradespeople to provide the core of

the industry.

And a number of those middle aged guys who have done very well for themselves over the last 15 years are looking to retire early too, adding to the problem, Jeurissen  adds.

Additional pressure and opportunities

The World Cup in 2011 and Manukau being the fastest growing area in the country, all create additional pressure and opportunities for MIT, he believes.

The other change that Jeurissen  has noticed is the average age of students in the trades.

These days they are in their mid-twenties. They have done their time in the fast-food industry or in supermarkets, so that when they arrive they are conscious of the burden of student loans that they are taking on, and are, consequently, far more focussed than their predecessors.

Along with MIT, Unitec has developed strong connections with industry, through senior staff and apprenticeship co-ordinators networking with those in the industry, many of whom are former students.

Unitec has successfully persuaded leading companies such as Schneider Electrical to get involved in sponsorships of campus projects and take on work-experience trainees.

Singer gets serious

Another major player, the Singer Group has recently taken its apprentice training scheme by the scruff of its neck  to get serious  and the results are impressive, especially given that 10 percent of its workforce today are apprentices.

According to Dean Morgan, the executive in charge of the programme, apprentices are paid a highly competitive rate which enables them to fund their outside training courses, since Singer believes it is part of their training to take full responsibility for their own advancement.

The company has moved in less than two years from either having no apprentices  or a token number at any one time  to having 20 on board. And the number could grow, depending on circumstances.

Last year, the Electro Technology Industry Training Organisation (ETITO)   confirmed the unprecedented increase in demand for access to electrical apprenticeship training had continued and it was producing two qualified electricians every working day. The previous year had seen a 32 percent increase in demand for new apprenticeships.

After a delay in 2005, the revised National Certificate in Electrical Engineering [Electrician for Registration] [Level 4] was rolled out earlier this year. Currently, ETITO has 2,803 electrical apprentices in training and 422 new apprentices signed training agreements at the beginning of 2006. It has provided 32 percent more Level 2 course places than last year.

Our forecasts indicate that demand for electrical apprenticeships will continue to climb in the foreseeable future, said Marilyn Brady, ETITO Chief Executive.

In response to new legislation passed in 2002, ETITO researched the electrical sector on its current and future skill needs. It found that:

Most employers do not have a clear plan on how to go about attracting and recruiting the right people into apprenticeships.

Most apprentices do not see cost as a barrier to taking on an apprenticeship.

The effectiveness of off-job training in making apprentices more productive is questionable because the purpose of off-job training is not always clear to employers; what is learnt in off-job training might not match what is needed at work and some teaching /  learning needs improvement.

Employers have very few systems in place to manage the performance of their staff.

Many apprentices resign in the early stages of their apprenticeship as their pay is not linked to the gaining of new skills, there is a lack of further training opportunities, their work is not interesting and there is no opportunity for career progression.