Private sector 'helped' with shortage of skilled workers

 16/11/2011 - The private sector is partly to blame for the shortage of skilled workers because many large companies no longer run apprenticeship programs, says Infrastructure Australia chairman Sir Rod Eddington. - Trevor Chappell

People did not take up jobs in trades and skilled labour in the way that they once did, Sir Rod told a Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) luncheon on Tuesday.

"We live with the consequences of that now, and I think that the private sector has to take some of the blame here because a lot of our big companies used to run apprenticeship programs - some still do - in conjunction with our TAFEs and universities," Sir Rod said.

"But I think the private sector has invested a lot less in the skills training over the last 20 years than it did prior to that."

Sir Rod said the developing gas fields off the northwest shelf of Western Australia required highly skilled and very experienced trades people, but they were not coming from the education system.

The lack of locally trained trades people was driving private sector demand for skilled trades people from overseas to work in Australia on temporary visas.

"Without that, the work just doesn't get done," Sir Rod said.

"I think there are some real challenges here, not just for the private sector but for governments as well, because where governments decide to build infrastructure, they face the same constraints."

To read more, click on the following link:
http://www.industrysearch.com.au/News/Private-sector-helped-with-shortage-of-skilled-workers-56050