UPSKILLING IN TRANSPORT

The world is changing at a faster pace each year and with it, the workplace.   When you realise that the first iPhone only hit the stores in 2007, you get an inkling of how quickly smart phones became an essential part of everyday life, and just how rapidly new technology can become an indispensable part of the workplace.   Having experience with Microsoft Office is no longer something to note on your CV, it’s an assumed skill, like email and internet capabilities. As technology advances, so must our knowledge or we risk being left behind.   Everyone is now expected to hold more knowledge about a wider number of programs, technologies, and operating procedures than ever before, causing some people to retrain and reskill a several times throughout their career.  

EVERY DAY IS A SCHOOL DAY 

The Australian Government have allocated a whopping $189.7 million over the next five years to support mature age Aussies to adapt to the changing economy and develop the skills that they will require to stay in the workforce.   This represents a clear acknowledgement that the pace of change currently being experienced is a challenge to the workforce.   Another government incentive to breathe new life into people’s careers is the Australian Apprenticeships Incentives Program which aims to help Australians access subsidised nationally recognised qualifications under an apprenticeship or traineeship.  

NATIONAL SKILLS SHORTAGE  

Earlier this year, Australia’s National Skills Commission said its latest assessment of skill shortages found that 42 per cent of technician and trade occupations are in shortage, compared to 19 per cent of all occupations in shortage.   The UK’s Department of Education conducts a regular survey of more than 80,000 employers to identify skills needs and signal shortages. The 2019 Employer Skills Survey, found that skilled trades was the most challenging occupation group to fill.   This all suggests that those willing to retrain and reskill will be at a significant advantage in today’s job market.  

REDUCE, REUSE, RESKILL 

One example of a company that seeks to ensure that resources are used to their full potential is Green Collect in Braybrook, Victoria.   Part of Green Collect’s strategy is to convince local businesses to ditch the once acceptable linear model of consumption—buy, consume, dispose, repeat. They encourage and actively participate in a more circular economy: recycling, upcycling, reusing, and rehoming items destined for Australia’s overflowing landfill sites. 

Green Collect at work 

In its 15th year of operation last year, with a team of 35 employees, Green Collect salvaged 125 tonnes of office material earmarked for landfill.  They managed to find a new home for the vast majority of what they collect, with only a handful of items ending up as landfill waste.  As with many businesses, Green Collect have adapted to the growth of their business, the changing market, and an explosion of new technology.   With the ever-increasing challenge of moving materials around Melbourne, they reached out to Australia’s most trusted transport brand, Isuzu Trucks, for assistance, purchasing a new NNR 45-150 Vanpack.   Interestingly, this truck can be driven on a standard driver's licence, meaning everyone in the company is able to drive it.   As Greencollect’s cofounder and executive director Darren Andrews said: “Skills development is important to us and there’s certainly things on our radar around how we can help to increase our staff’s employability and their career pathways.”  This is the attitude of the future - modern workplaces need to be agile, and what was once a marketing buzzword is now the norm.