It may seem like a humble aspiration, but in the run-up to the state election next week, Queensland industry’s No.1 priority is for the next government to deliver a skilled workforce, fit for today and the decades ahead.
To many in the business community, the Queensland economy is looking a bit like an inexperienced roller-skater, with one foot surging towards a future requiring an educated and innovative workforce and the other foot stuck in a rut.
Jobs and Skills Australia Commissioner Professor Barney Glover noted at the National Press Club recently that 90 per cent of jobs growth in the next 10 years would require a university or VET qualification or a combination of both.
It is increasingly clear that quality education and life-long learning is now an essential, not a ‘nice to have’.
Yet, Queensland is the nation’s wooden spooner when it comes to higher education, with our 25-34-year-olds having the lowest attainment rate in the country.
Queensland’s regions raise eyebrows even further. James Cook University (JCU) Vice Chancellor Professor Simon Biggs recently highlighted that six in ten school leavers in southeast Queensland have an ATAR, qualifying them for university, yet only three in ten in the JCU catchment leave school with an ATAR.
Participation in Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Queensland is relatively good, and, for example, racing ahead with apprenticeship numbers compared to Victoria, but we still can’t keep up with demand.
Solar farms, the state-wide rollout of smart meters, hospital build-outs and the Olympic stadium, to name a few, are all soaking up workers, with so much more on the ‘to-do’ list.
The blossoming manufacturing sector, a $22.7 billion policy priority for the Federal Government, is on the hunt for talent, too, and struggling.
No one has the heart to add up the state’s total shortfall.
Queensland manufacturers have machinery lying idle with no one to operate it. Truck drivers and forklift operators are highly sought after, yet elusive. Businesses are bringing in workers from overseas and trying to upskill on the job. But, our state’s Gross State Product is languishing, sitting as the nation’s second lowest in 2022/23 behind Tasmania.
It’s hardly surprising, then, that a recent Ai Group survey of Queensland businesses found demand was high for a wide range of skills, but particularly strong for technicians and trades workers.
Over three quarters (76 per cent) of Queensland businesses surveyed reported an increased need for technicians and trades skills, 65 per cent had an increased need for managers and 51 per cent needed more professionals.
With everyone competing for the same talent, shortfalls like this become everyone’s problem.
Ai Group members know from experience that fattening pay packets and adding flexibility can only get them so far.
To meet their skills needs, 80 per cent of Queensland businesses surveyed said they planned to re-skill existing staff on the job – an enormous task and a big burden for businesses.
A recent sounding out of Queensland Ai Group members echoed these concerns. They told us the weight of regulation, the burden of state taxes, energy costs and housing were hampering industry, but it’s the challenges of finding the right skilled workforce that’s the defining issue. The skills challenge is the handbrake, not just to innovation and growth but to just ‘getting the job done’.
It’s clear this is the defining challenge for our next Queensland government: prioritising a transformational education and training system that can power our state into a prosperous future.
A good place to start would be with our youngest Queenslanders.
New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia are investing in early childhood education, funding 30 hours a week for three-and four-year-olds. The southern states are building up their teaching stock and focusing on having children ready to learn with language and social skills and fine and gross motor skills by the time they start school. Western Australia has universal screening for school readiness.
So far, Queensland has only dipped a toe into this thinking, with 18 hours a week of government-funded kindy for four-year-olds introduced just this year.
The next government must prioritise education, skills and training, keep a laser focus on outcomes and invest deeply in those cities and communities that need it most.
Queensland businesses are doing their bit, but they need the next government to step up to the challenge on education and training.
We need to get our skates on and tracking in the same direction.
Hopefully, then, we can power forward together.
