MSA releases industry 'scan'

The collision repair industry’s concerns about training for the sector being handed to Manufacturing Skills Australia (MSA) will only be heightened following the release of the MSA Environmental Scan 2010 final report.

The 64 page document covers a hose of industries, which includes the automotive sector, but what is evident in the document is the term panel beater appears only three times, vehicle painter twice and spray painter once.

This is amongst a field on industries which includes aerospace, furnishing, laboratory operations, metal, engineering and boating, process manufacturing and textiles, clothing and footwear.

It is easy to see the repair sector’s concern regarding the relevance of MSA in delivering specalist training to an industry concerned with retail, service and repair of vehicles.

However, the current AUR05 training package fort eh repair industry is now dated and its relevance questionable, so something need to be done to address future training needs.

But giving the document its credit, the scan of the manufacturing industry looks into a host of issues likely to affect the industry in the future and how training will be fashioned to meet these challenges.

It is identified there are skill shortages for panel beaters and vehicle painters, that environmental issues will create greater demands on training and that the ongoing use of different materials and technologies present training challenges.

The report said that keeping up with technology changes is one of the central challenges for businesses across the automotive industry, and difficulty in gaining and implementing updated information was identified by some as a barrier to maintaining currency.

“This is particularly true in the aftermarket sector which does not have access to propriety information of the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs),” the report stated.

“Materials used in vehicles have changed substantially from what they were six years ago and increasing interchange between electrical/electronic and mechanical features is impacting the skill needs of enterprises.

“The rate of technology change in the automotive industry today far exceeds anything that the industry has ever experienced before and industry leaders are adamant that those who don’t keep up will soon be left far behind. This places extra pressure on the training system to provide access to ongoing skill and knowledge development opportunities.”

The report went on to state that establishing ongoing training regimes was seen as critical to up-skill workers on new technologies. Further training opportunities are needed in many new skill areas, such as training for electrical drive and energy supply systems engineering, manufacture, repair and servicing.

Sustainability drivers will increasingly demand improved environmental outcomes for the automotive industry and this will impact training priorities.

For example, emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) from paint and surface coatings may come under regulatory control in Australia in the near future, in line with international protocols. VOC emissions contribute to ozone formation and are a significant obstacle to Australia achieving air quality standards. The implications of this agenda include a need for widespread upskilling in the use of new painting technologies, waterborne processes and converted spray booth environments.

In addition, alternative fuels are a top priority for increasing environmental sustainability. Not only does this require skill and knowledge in the development and testing of alternative fuels, but also in new technologies which use them.”

In each case, MSA is investigating these changing skill and knowledge requirements as part of its current work on the retail, service and repair training package.

The full report is available at www.mskills.com.au