Page 18 - Climate Control Magazine September 2018

In Focus
AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY STANDARDS (AIS) IS BRINGING TOGETHER LEADERS FROM KEY INDUSTRIES TO EXPLORE CURRENT AND FUTURE SKILLS CHALLENGES CAUSED BY THE CHANGING WORLD OF WORK.
Future-skilling Australia’s workforce
Apprentice numbers increased 5.3 per cent last year.
Following the panel discussions, there will be a series of industry-specific break-out ses- sions to discuss and debate the challenges and possible solutions to skills shortages. At- tendees will discuss barriers to recruiting skilled employees and will also explore emerging skill needs.
Information and insights from the forums will feed directly into the 2019 Skills Forecasts
“FIGURES ARE ENCOURAGING BUT THERE IS STILL MORE WORK TO DO.” - ASSISTANT SKILLS MINISTER, KAREN ANDREWS
– the key pieces of industry-centred advice for Government about the skills needs of industry. The CEO of AIS, Robert Adams, said future- skilling Australian workers will be critical for industry and educators as the global environ- ment evolves and emerging technologies im-
pact job requirements.
“While new opportunities are driving the
economy, there are challenges to ensure busi- ness can access a sustainable, flexible work- force with high-quality skills,” Adams said.
AIS Industry Skills Forums, which are free to attend, will be held in each capital city around the country from September to November, 2018.
The first forum will kick off in Canberra on September 11. For details go to www. futureskilling.org.au. ✺
THE FORUMS WILL feature panel discus- sions about future-skilling in an age of digital transformation and new thinking about jobs and careers.
It will assess what jobs are required in the fu- ture with projections that 375 million jobs, or 14 per cent of the global workforce, will be auto- mated by 2030. The growth of technology since 1990 has been rapid and accelerating.
As a result the work profile of nearly every job has been affected, with some jobs being fully automated, others partly or considerably al- tered in their performance.
For example in the logistics sector, the ex- pansion of goods-to-person automation has im- proved the effectiveness and efficiency of e- commerce. Drone technology for parcel delivery is developing while ports are being automated.
Autonomous vehicles in the transport sector are being used in mining areas, calculating routes and avoiding
While digital transformation brings many benefits across the economy, such significant change can lead to skills shortages and impact business performance. Productivity and com- petitiveness is reduced and ultimately Aus- tralia’s economic performance is hindered.
A commitment to investment in rigorous and sustainable future-skilling activity by in- dustry and educators can mitigate the chal- lenges facing enterprises across all sectors.
AIS is a Service Skills Organisation that sup-
ports Industry Reference Committees (IRCs) in developing qualifications and skills standards for a wide range of industries.
Collectively the industries covered by AIS ac- count for more than 1.3million workers or al- most 10% of the Australian workforce. More significantly, these workers add $174 billion to the Australian economy – or 11% of GDP.
The forums will give stakeholders the op- portunity to help shape the skills and work- force priorities for their industry. Throughout the discussions there will be a strong focus on people.
CLIMATECONTROLNEWS.COM.AU
STUDENT NUMBERS REMAIN STEADY
The number of apprentices and trainees in training increased 5.3 per cent last year from 337,200 to 355,200.
The latest figures for Australia’s vocational education and training (VET) system show student numbers are steady at 4.2 million.
According to the latest 2017 data released by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), the overall student participation rate is steady at 24 per cent for 15 to 64 year olds.
The number of international students (onshore and offshore) increased by more than 10 per cent from 168,700 to 186,300 in 2017.
Assistant Minister for Vocational Education and Skills, Karen Andrews, said the figures are encouraging but there is still more work to do.
“In 2018–19, the Australian Government will provide approximately $3 billion for VET,” she said.
“The Skilling Australians Fund, for example, will see an estimated $1.5 billion committed to projects to add an extra 300,000 new apprentices Australia wide.
For more information: https://www.ncver. edu.au/publications/publications/all- publications/total-vet-students-and- courses-2017#
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