5000 jobs in 50 days: Vocational training your escape from declining industries

THERE may be less jobs for manufacturers and secretaries but there are more for nurses and electricians. Workers just need to be nimble enough to go where the market takes them.

After working in the paper industry for 32 years, Chris Medcraft was made redundant and has moved into a career in mental health support. Picture: supplied.

THERE may be less jobs for manufacturers, secretaries and farmers but there are more for nurses, electricians and carers so workers just need to be nimble enough to move where the market takes them.

National Centre for Vocational Education Research report When One Door Closes revealed from 2006 to 2011, there were 30,200 less secretaries and 15,300 less mixed crop and livestock farmers employed in Australia, for example — and another 200,000 jobs were forecast to be lost in motor vehicle manufacturing as a result of Holden, Ford and Toyota stopping Australian operations by 2017.

But jobs weren’t disappearing. They were just moving into other industries.

From 2006 to 2011, there were an extra 34,300 registered nurses, 30,800 aged and disabled carers, 30,000 general clerks, 22,700 child carers and 20,500 electricians employed, for example.

East Coast Apprenticeships chief executive Alan Sparks said workers forced to re-skill for a career change could often become qualified in less time by taking previous experience and skills into account.

“For the Holden workers in SA, within the production line work they do they have a Certificate III in Production Assembly,” he said.

“TAFE SA mapped the qualities and competencies involved across to the more traditional mechanical fitter trade and the advice was that (the existing qualification) would represent about 47 per cent of that traditional trade qualification.

“Both Holden and Qantas workers (who have been made redundant can) look at the skill sets they have acquired working with those organisations and the opportunities they have through recognition of prior learning (RPL).

“The gap training can be significantly reduced.”

Deborah Homewood- Managing Director of MAX Employment. At MAX Employment Agency in Canberra.

MAX Employment managing director Deborah Homewood said career changers usually also had soft skills that were transferable across industries.

“Worked in hospitality? You can multitask under pressure. You’re a sales agent? You have good verbal communication skills. Office worker? You are computer literate. In construction? You have experience in workplace health and safety, transport and logistics,” she said.

Australian Training Awards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year 2014 Runner-up Chris Medcraft enrolled in a Certificate IV in Community Services after being made redundant from the paper industry in which he worked for 32 years.

“When it shut I only had industry skills and a lot of people went into truck driving but I wanted to follow my passion,” he said.

“I was interested in helping people.”

After working in the paper industry for 32 years, Chris Medcraft was made redundant. He was the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year Award 2014 Runner-up. He completed a Certificate IV in Mental Health through TasTAFE, and is soon to commence a Diploma in Frontline Management.

Mr Medcraft then completed a Certificate IV in Mental Health and Diploma in Frontline Management through TasTAFE, and now works for Richmond Fellowship Tasmania, which provides residential, recreational and community outreach services for people with mental health challenges.

“It’s taken me five or six years but I kept learning in the TAFE system to get the skills I need to improve,” he said.

It is National Skills Week until September 4.

Visit nationalskillsweek.com.au

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Originally published as 5000 jobs in 50 days: Vocational training your escape from declining industries