WELDING SERVICES FEELS PAIN OF SKILLS SHORTAGE
The skills shortage in the manufacturing and industrial sectors in Australia – and in many other countries around the world – has put the pressure on the welding services and machining industries.
Skilled tradesmen are becoming harder and harder to find, says EPM, one of the leaders in cnc machining in Perth, with some researchers predicting that in Australia, the shortage of tradespeople will be around 240 000 by 2015.
Whilst governments are making plans to try and alleviate the shortfall such as sourcing skilled migrants, increasing training grants and incentivising organisations to take on apprentices, the current shortage is impacting the industries as well as the suppliers of services such as the machine shops, cnc machining and welding services companies. The skills shortage also means that more people are working overtime in order to get the job done, plus the companies are experiencing delays in delivering their services or products to their customers because of the gap.
And because workers are so time-poor, they don’t have any gaps to mentor junior staff and pass on skills eg welding services and cnc milling.
And it is becoming harder for companies to both attract and retain staff because all the other businesses are using whatever tactics they can to find the best workers, eg increases in pay, additional financial incentives and benefits and flexible working hours. For example someone who is a highly skilled cnc machining professional or an expert in the repair of hydraulic cylinders is highly sought-after – both by the big employers eg the mining houses and the service providers such as a machine shop.
EPM, an established machine shop in Perth says their solution is to invest in their employees, empower them through developing and nurturing positive attitudes and pride and help them become the best they can be – so it’s a win-win situation for everyone.
Leave a Reply