Business groups and unions are warning of a looming skills shortage as trade commencements and student enrolments continue to plummet.
Nationwide, about 200,000 fewer people participated in government funded skills training in 2015, with the largest decline in students aged 15-19. NSW is one of the worst states hit, according to the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) figures.
The number of students enrolled in government-funded vocational education in NSW has plummeted by 86,300 in the past year, NCVER said. Trade commencements and apprenticeships are also in free-fall with the Australian Industry Group (AIG) warning of a skills shortage in core trades.
AIG head of workforce development, Megan Lilly, has called for an urgent response. “These figures highlight the dire state of the apprenticeship system,” she said. “The trade skills required for a productive economy are not being sufficiently developed and the prospect of skill shortages looms large.”
Seeking to strengthen the RAC trade and implement vocational education and training reforms of its own, the HVACR industry has identified a long list of priorities as part of the PRIME initiative.
The reforms, which include changes to licensing have been identified in a Situation Analysis prepared for PRIME, which is an industry-wide initiative to transition to a low emissions future.
The analysis was prepared by the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) and released for public comment which closed mid-July.
Australia’s 70,000 plus RAC tradespeople representing the very grassroots of the industry are calling for greater input into creating a trade-based licensing system that is focused on the performance of industry.
But first the Australian Refrigeration Mechanics Association (ARMA) wants to protect the trade’s skills base. ARMA wants to compete within their own trade and not against non technically competent trades issued with Certificate II licence endorsements, specifically plumbers and electricians.
“We want no involvement from the plumbing industry or the electrical industry. We want to ensure our trade has a strong voice,” ARMA said.
Industry recognises the need to provide education on natural refrigerants and new technologies and has called for funding to upskill tradespeople in the area of new HFO flammable refrigerants and natural refrigerants.
This is in addition to improved safety practices and the introduction of graduate courses specifically related to the HVACR industry at universities.
An Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC) spokesperson said the council recognises the importance of better training outcomes. “We are actively working to ensure high quality training outcomes and are in the process of developing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) to provide technical support for any complaints in the RAC training area,” the spokesperson said. ASQA is the national regulator for the VET sector.
Licensing is another area in need of urgent reform. The current scheme does not cover low GWP refrigerants. However, industry is still debating whether licensing should be based on occupation or refrigerants.
It is an issue that will need to be addressed for PRIME to move forward. In the meantime, AIRAH is working with Workplace, Health and Safety Regulators (WHS) to conduct a safety survey that will address some of these concerns.
One shining light amid all the drama has been the Climate Control Centre at the Box Hill Institute which continues to thrive and grow.
As a result of the ARBS Foundation scholarships, five TAFE students and their teachers have completed their first two-week residential course. They will return again in September.
The state of the art facility uses a patented POD training delivery system to provide a flexible learning environment for students.
Over 30 PODs (a three metre cubed learning space) have been supplied with the latest plant and equipment technologies by AREMA members and fitted by AMCA members. The PODs can be moved, stacked and stored depending on the training being delivered to apprentices and post-trade students.