Projects
Workforce Development Strategy for the Victorian Outdoor Industries
Workforce Development Strategy Released!
The SkillsHub Workforce Development Strategy for the Outdoor Industries is now available for download. The forum originally scheduled for early November has been postponed due to recent changes in the VET funding model. SkillsHub apologises for any inconvenience caused and will schedule another date for the forum.
Background
On the 12 November about 40 stakeholders from the Victorian Outdoor Industries attended a presentation and planning session on workforce development held at the Outdoor Recreation Centre in Templestowe. The session was opened by Julie Sloan, developer of the Australian Standards in workforce development, who presented a clear case for workforce planning, using examples form a range of industries. A key message was that the outdoor industries have many issues relevant to all Australian industries and compete with these industries to attract and retain skilled workers. Workforce planning and solid data collection is necessary before a strategy can be developed. Service Skills Australia presented some recent data findings from a national survey of the outdoor industries which was followed by a group discussion on current workforce issues (presented below).
Key workforce issues:
- Parts of the industry are struggling to find skilled staff in time to meet demand for services
- There appears to be a high attrition rate for people leaving the industry due to rates of pay and/or working conditions
- The industry suffers from a lack of profile and not having a unified peak body to represent and advocate for it
- There are limited career paths within the industry and poor marketing of careers in the outdoor sector
- Skills are not being sufficiently transferred across different parts of the industry
- There is some concern that the quality of graduates is not meeting employer needs
Outdoor Workers Survey
Thank you for participating in this survey, you provided vital information to assist industry to grow a sustainable workforce. The survey was completely anonymous and information was used by SkillsHub to assist in determining the current issues facing outdoor workers and volunteers.
Image supplied by the Outdoor Education Group.
