Talking Point: Give Tassie engineers a fair chance

DARREN BEATTIE: Train locals instead of relying on interstate and overseas workers for wave of major projects ahead

Tasmania is faced with fantastic prospects but big challenges in the engineering profession.

Ahead lie projects that could create major job opportunities and investment, including Marinus Link, Battery of the Nation, Bridgewater Bridge and the newly announced hydrogen power generation plant.

Tasmania needs more information about the size and capabilities of the engineering requirements for the next 30 years so we can develop an effective workforce.

For example, how many electrical engineers will be needed to deliver major projects in the next 5-10 years?

HOW DO WE DELIVER transformation of our local power grids to integrate renewable and smarter energy systems, deployment of larger electric vehicle fleets, and expansion of our communities and industry?

HOW do these needs link to requirements for the Battery of the Nation or Marinus in terms of numbers of people or technical skills?

HOW do we source this workforce — trained by the University of Tasmania, recruited from Victoria or skilled international migrants? What upskilling is needed?

HOW do these needs align or conflict across sectors — manufacturing, agriculture, defence and science specialist programs, housing, health and civil construction?

The state’s engineering sector will play a critical role in our future — maintaining our services and lifestyles, supporting competitiveness and providing the foundations for economic opportunities.

Tasmania needs to grow its engineering workforce to support these projects, at the same time as the workforce ages. Tasmania’s pipeline for the early-career workforce faces significant challenges. We need to provide more support to engineering employers to develop student and graduate engineers.

There aren’t enough roles for student engineers to gain exposure to practice during their studies, and to secure sufficient professional roles upon graduation.

It is expensive for employers, particularly smaller firms, to commit to employing graduate engineers in sufficient numbers for our engineering workforce needs.

Engineers Australia Tasmania recommends the State Government examine how to make it more viable for employers to support early career development of engineering professionals.

Victoria has a Local Jobs First program:

LOCAL JOBS FIRST: Victorian Industry Participation Policy improves opportunities for local suppliers to compete for work on government contracts, helping to create opportunities for Victorian businesses and workers

LOCAL JOBS FIRST: Major Projects Skills Guarantee gives opportunities to apprentices, trainees and cadets to work on high value government construction projects.

The Major Projects Skills Guarantee includes engineering graduates in the program, in addition to the more typical provisions for apprentices and trainees.

Tasmania’s infrastructure vision for the next 30 years is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build skills and capabilities and inspiration for the future.

Major projects will happen regardless — the required workforce can be sourced from other locations — but creating opportunities for engineers must be a priority.

Tasmania can point to many, many project that are under way or completed with partnerships between state-based and mainland companies.

But more work to “big island experience” companies means less local investment in our graduate workforce in the short-term and shortages of experienced engineers in the long term.

Tasmania needs to build our own pipeline of future engineers, from the University of Tasmania, from interstate and via skilled migration.

Darren Beattie is acting general manager of Engineers Australia Tasmania.