Help fix the skills gap

The Australian Industry Standards annual skills survey is open, and all members of the HVAC&R industry are encouraged to participate.

“This is the best opportunity refrigeration and air conditioning employers will get to voice their opinion,” says long-time educator and member of the RAC technical advisory committee (TAC), Steve Smith.

“They can indicate whether the current national training standards are meeting their needs, and if not, what is wrong with them. How are they failing our industry?

“They can also suggest changes that need to be made to make them suitable for industry requirements, and note future expectations/trends that need to be included in the standards.”

The survey is being conducted by Australian Industry Standards (AIS) on behalf of the Industry Reference Committees (IRCs), and addresses the key issues affecting skills and workforce development.

The skills surveys aim to build a whole-of-industry picture and will be used to assist in identifying new or emerging skills needs and inform training package development.

This year the survey has a strong focus on identifying the skills gaps and labour shortages across different industries. The results from the last survey revealed 6.9 per cent of respondents experienced a skills shortage in the past 12 months.

The results of the survey will be used to assist develop an industry outlook for each sector, identify any new or emerging skills, and inform training package development.

The survey can be completed online here and is open until Friday, January 17, 2020.

“The time has come to take a fresh look at what our apprentices are doing, and what they need to be doing into the future,” says Smith. “Now is the time to get your opinion out there.”