If Tasmania’s unemployment question is a jigsaw puzzle to solve, there are many important pieces still to find.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
TasTAFE has a crucial role to play in bridging the gap between industries reporting labour shortages and jobseekers. If it can do this, that will go a long way to reducing unemployment in Tasmania.
A drop of 4000 students hit TasTAFE last year, even as joblessness in the north reached 7.7 per cent and 20.8 per cent for people aged 15-24.
TasTAFE’s chief executive Stephen Conway has acknowledged a new approach to recruiting students is needed.
He says it’s listening to communities about what they want delivered, and that it wants to change how learning is perceived among some people.
Tasmanian public debate has focused much on the importance tertiary education plays in improving the economy. The role of TasTAFE needs to be part of this discussion.
Diverse pathways into the workforce are needed to lower joblessness.
A decline in apprenticeships is closing off one of these. The National Centre for Vocational Education Research found 7,700 apprentices were in training last financial year, a drop from 12,900 in 2012.
Builders have pointed to payroll tax, accelerated wage rises and national industrial relations decisions as causes, saying the cost to employ apprentices had “skyrocketed”.
Young people need other avenues to get a job if their interests and abilities don’t align with a university education. Governments need to look at the causes of the decline in apprenticeships and develop other ways into paid training. TasTAFE could be a bridge into work for young people finding it hard to get their first job.
Barriers to entering its courses – whether real or perceived – need breaking down, especially while apprenticeships become harder to find.
While unemployment remains high in northern Tasmania, there’s a need to fill jobs in tourism.
Tourists to Tasmania are on track to number at least 1.5 million in 2020 and a workforce of 20,000 will be needed, up from 15,000 in 2012-13. The industry warns that it is “on edge” in filling service jobs.
The disconnect between skills shortages and joblessness needs to be fixed. In the New Year, the state has the opportunity to retrain its focus on this to ensure young Tasmanians are developing skills they need to work.