Training tricks for the trades

One of the challenges facing the industry as we lurch into 2011 is that of an efficient and effective workforce.

Where are all the young people coming through to take up apprenticeships as painters and beaters?

And how can the industry overcome an emerging skills shortage?

What strikes me is the emphasis placed on gaining an entry into university. We – society in general – appear to place a huge emphasis on gaining a university degree. Students are pushed to get that great mark, and the necessary university entry level mark.

What should be happening, though, is students being encouraged to perform at their best. That might mean looking at undertaking a trade course, and reaping the benefits a trade qualification can provide for a skilled technician.

I’m reminded of a school chum of my youngest daughter, who is now her final year at school and preparing for her NSW HSC exam later this year.

Her school friend decided to leave at the end of year 10 and he took up an apprenticeship with a local builder (who recently won the HIA NSW House of the Year award).

I see this young man almost every day, as we travel to work at about the same time each day, and what I see is a young man who has been given a fantastic opportunity to learn, develop and hone skills to become a quality tradesman.

One of the reasons he will achieve these heights is that he has a great teacher and mentor in the builder he works for. I’m also lucky enough to know several of this builder’s former apprentices, who are still working for him as qualified tradesmen.

The same can be said for the collision repair industry, where good apprentices, taught and mentored by great panel beaters or spray painters, can make a great career in a dynamic and ever-changing industry.

There are many collision repair facilities that embrace the employment and training of apprentices.

There are many more that would like to have apprentices in their workshops, but have difficulty in sourcing dedicated and committed young people to undertake the necessary training and development to obtain their trade qualification.

The challenge is, or course, attracting the right person to take up an apprenticeship and then having the ability to retain them.

And it is a challenge.

Western Australia is a great example of a state affected by a shortage of a skilled workforce, be it qualified technicians or apprentices.

The mining industry is able to offer would-be apprentices and qualified technicians alike much more than a crash repairer, so fewer young people are going into the trade. As the industry knows, some panel shops have resorted to bringing in qualified technicians from overseas in an attempt to continue to provide services to their customers.

And WA is not the only region affected. Regional areas in NSW, where mining is taking hold, would be suffering the same problem.

Add society’s view of the importance of a university education, and we have a real shortage of potential tradies, and there seems to be no real answer to problem.

Without the ability to pay apprentices more – and therefore having to pay tradies more as well – and compete with the mining sector, the industry will continue to struggle to attract the right candidate to fill the apprentice role.

And this would add further pressure to an industry battling to maintain income levels with insurers looking to find the most competitive way of repairing vehicles.

It should be noted that there are insurance companies putting their support behind apprentice programs for this industry, and they should be commended for that. Maybe it’s time that this commitment was expanded to make it easier for collision repairers to take on apprentices, and that those apprentices are paid an adequate wage that starts to compete with the mining sector.

Food for thought.