The research is being funded as part of a series of case studies that are examining skills shortages across various Australian industries. The research is being funded by DEST, and the final report that should be available from mid 2007, will be published by NCVER.
At this time, the draft report identifies similar levels of skills shortages across both larger through to smaller businesses, and in particular, in the areas of printing machinists and bindery. In looking at how the industry can respond to these and other shortages, the study has interviewed over 35 members of the industry across five states including, employers, union officials, members of the PIAA, Skills Councils representatives, and training providers including small group meetings with current apprentices and teachers in printing and graphic arts.
The report is putting forward a range of training oriented and other solutions to skills shortages in the industry, including:
• Increased efforts to raise the awareness among school students about careers in the industry, with special targeting of Year 10 students, the greater use of school partnerships (eg adopt a school programs), school based apprenticeships and VET in schools, and more effort by the industry to communicate its traditional but also increasing role in value-adding activities that provide a wider set of career opportunities in the general communications industry.
• More use of flexible training options, with an increased use of workplace training and assessment, and associated developments like better coordination in companies of training opportunities and improved supervision of apprentices to allow more targeted and accelerated training.
• The introduction of accelerated traineeships with a minimum completion of two-and-a-half years.
• Growth in the use of prevocational programmes, recognition of prior learning among existing employees who have worked long term in printing companies, and more effort to create job and career paths for less skilled employees, long term unemployed youth, mature age workers and those displaced from other industries, and more attention to the needs of casual workers many of whom are mothers with school aged children who are attracted to various aspects of the industry.
• Other strategies around partnerships to share training across printing firms and access to high technology
equipment, growing the number of private providers, access to immigrant workers, and the printing industry having a role in the proposed Centres for Vocational Excellence.
If you would like to contribute to this report while it is still at a draft stage, Professor Callan welcomes your ideas and thoughts, especially by email, until May 1, 2007. Email v.callan@business.uq.edu.au
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