Home >
|
Marine Skills Industry Forum
10 - 11 July 2007 |
Outcomes of the Marine Skills Industry Forum
The National Marine Safety Committee would like to thank all those involved in the Marine Skills Industry Forum, which has produced a range of action plans to address the skills shortages in the seafood, passenger vessel and boat building and repairs sectors.
The Forum’s 130 delegates from training organizations, industry and government, developed the proposals via intense workshops over the two day Forum.
NMSC CEO Maurene Horder undertook to keep delegates would be kept up to date on the progress of the action plans.
“The Forum was not a talk-fest, the action plans will be implemented to assist government and industry to encourage skills uptake, attract personnel and simplify training packages and regulation.”
The plans will be coordinated by the NMSC, the Transport and Logistics Industry Skills Council, and by NMSC member organizations such as the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and NSW Maritime.
NMSC will shortly be releasing an issues paper on Part D of the NSCV which will help to develop some new national approaches to maritime training and qualifications.
Action plans centering on key issues raised at the forum are listed in the table below –
Short Term Plans
ACTION IMPLEMENTATION
Recognition of Defence Qualifications |
NMSC and AMSA |
|
Image of Industry and promotion of Careers |
Transport & Logistics Industry |
|
Dikkenberg/Evans Presentations (Model) |
NMSC to simplify through revision of NSCV Part D |
|
ROPES and Mandated/Quality of Sea time |
NMSC alignment and driver; as above. |
|
Co-ordination of Industry Skills Committees (ISC) |
Training Packages to be considered. |
Long Term Plans
ACTION IMPLEMENTATION
Revision of Part D will impact on Regulation and allow for Reform |
NMSC |
|
Establish a National Marine Forum |
Volunteers from Industry & AMIF To co-ordinate |
|
Co-ordinate RTO’s & Industry |
Bulletin Board - NMSC |
|
Progress the NSCV |
NMSC |
|
One National Certificate structure |
NMSC |
Workshop sessions
Delegates provided valuable feedback on issues, problems, solutions and ways forward at each of the workshop sessions.
For an overview of each of the workshop sessions, please click on to the relevant session below. For ease of reference, Wednesday 11 July - Morning and Afternoon Workshop Sessions have been condensed into a single summary.
Tuesday 10 July 2007
Workshop 1 Competencies to Match Industry Requirements
- Lack of a national policy
- Needs to be consistency between states
- NSW/QLD functional approach – there are too many tickets
- RTOs deliver competencies but boats are often different ( eg cranes, winches).
- Need training vessels (but they won’t be the same as others).
- Sea time does not necessarily deliver competency.
- Lack of a training culture in the industry to deliver more competencies to those with tickets.
- Competent means being able to go onboard and learn that boat quickly.
- Regulated competencies are outmoded in many cases.
- Operators must up skill those with a min. qualification, e.g. a deck hand.
Workshop 2 – Training Strategies
- Industry is not promoted well in schools and industry has a role to play in this
- Need for competency based training and interstate consistency
- Need competitive wages
- Need national training packages and career progression
- There is a role for simulation in training
- There is limited training funding
- CBT vs. Traditional Training
- Need better communication to employees
- Balance of class time and CBT
- Recognition of skills from overseas.
- Needs to be national solution and national uniform assessment.
- Quality mentors are needed
- Currently there are restricted Qualifications
- Clear direction to RTO’s from regulator.
- Accountability and liability of RTO’s/instructors.
Workshop 3 – Sea Time Issues
- Quality assurance
- ROPES - look at quality assurance to ensure appropriate tasks on vessel.
- ROPES hasn’t solved the problem
- Seatime has to be relevant (ROPES)
- Length vs. Quality
- Need better Guidelines
- Training to be adding value
- Recognition of navy, yachting, masters
- We do not want it to take years to sort out.
Wednesday 11 July
Workshop participants were asked to provide short term and long term strategies to practically solve problems relating to recruitment, training, retention, and career development.
Workshop 1 Seafood
Actions by December – Short Term Actions
- Improved information/careers transfer to schools/marine training organisations
- Possibility of a national perspective
- Possibility of having STCW-F in schools to make trainees “industry ready
- Rationalise ticket requirements – start lobbying
- Quality/level sea-time
- Review Marine Orders Part 9
- Lack of people
- Find out where displaced crews are?
- Recruit from schools,
- Work with ISC’s to improve career pathway information.
- Qualifications Framework
- Be involved in review of NSCV Part D.
- Seatime (qualification vs. quantity)
- Marine orders 9 review
- Recognition of prior experience
- Define/rationalize deck vs. engineering time.
- Current skill requirements in standards
- Rationalise ticket requirements including STCW-F.
- Entry level qualifications – possibility of P plate system
- National consistency
- Input (industry) into STCW-F
- Promote lifestyle/sea change to encourage older people to enter industry
Other Recommendations
- Acknowledgement of the COAG direction to remove sea time.
- Encourage skippers to carry out secondary assessment
- Further improvement of ROPES.
Workshop 2 Passenger Vessel Operations
Resolution: NMSC produces industry information pack for active distribution to schools, yacht clubs etc.
National Alignment
- Benchmark the criteria for measurement of skills. TAFE. Nationally
- State regulators to set an agreed agenda for commercial license model.
- OH&S training opened up to RTO’s Oz wide.
- Regulators to agree units of competence for restricted tickets.
- National recognised mariners ID Card.
- Public transport OH&S training module.
- Evacuation procedures.
Image
- School based work experience
- Get an image and promote it.
- Develop/improve Government and industry web sites for career opportunities.
- Portability of tickets between states including standardised medical tickets.
- Government (Fed + State) commit to marine industry with policy and implementation strategies.
What we can do
- Involve senior management in the development of our staff.
- Develop partnerships with other operators to broaden employee skills for qualification progress.
- Revalidation using check with capt process.
- Ensure instructor/trainer skills are up to date.
- Establish relationship with training organisations.
- Compulsory use of the ROPES books.
Challenges
- Limitation of experience, i.e. across a range of vessels and trades.
- Solution: vessel operators to ‘club’ together to fund/organise training, e.g.- stevedore industry.
- Recognition of non Australian Certificates and prior learning
- Bridging course from RYA etc.
- RTO assessment of certificates.
- Training courses in conjunction with schools.
- Lack of information on how to commence a career in industry.
- Who would fund a group training scheme.
- ‘Bonding’ to company after paid training.
Longer Term Strategies
- Afloat + ashore sectors will have some different needs (needs to be addressed in future by NMSC).
- Need to look at government to implement NSCV, including Part D
- Need to push school-based traineeships + apprenticeships, etc ( yachting clubs, surf clubs, school cadets – could provide opportunities) – better use of group training schemes and cooperative programs amongst different employees (in a cluster)
- Fund, develop and promote and market marine industry.
- National policy for maritime industry to be motioned through TLISC
- Simplify ticketing structure
- Recognise migrants’ qualifications- possibility to work in Australia.
The Future
- One National Certificate Structure.
- Common Legislation
- Ropes or similar used nationally and need to review ROPES
- Reduce “Seatime requirements” and develop recognition of “logged competencies
Workshop 3 Ship Boat Building and Repair
Short Term Strategies
- Industry profile needs to be raised via posters, web based material, CD’s and career opportunities introduced into all states, develop a strategy by Dec 2007.
- Launch an electronic bulletin board – NMSC
- Collective advertisement for maritime industry
Longer Term/General Strategies
- Training in the areas that are required (eg engineering)
- Giving recognition to other trades e.g. fitters
- Boating services package (covers building boats to running marinas. It is a national package).
- Boating services: limited budget, industry support required, info to parents and teachers, commitment from industry)
- Government/regulation/schools – money is a problem and as are competing industries
- Fast tracking trade qualifications for mature age students.
- Marine industry not paying enough, need to pay what market pays
- Increase in TAFE fee – possibility to subsidise/reimburse fee
- Use ANZSBEG as vehicle to promote and raise industry profile
- Can industry develop a scholarship program?
Workshop 4 Non-Passenger Vessels
How to fast track current system
- Part D – quality pre-requisites
- Training package
- Assessment system – CRCC Gap Training.
- Simple regulation
Major Issues
- Sources of crew: schools, navy, yachting, fishing crews.
- Seatime and skill not transferable
- NMSC to show pathways as per AMSA.
- Challenge current regulatory restrictions – sea time/ pre-requisites.
- National system for competencies
- Industry skills councils various qualification to join in common cause.
- Better communications between different aspects of industry.
- Regulators to define a clean pathway between fishing and commercial.
- Advertising
- Change Part D of NSCV
- Need for one main standard
Long Term Strategies
- Commitment to one system - for 2009 (Dec 2008)
- NSCV Part D to be included as soon as possible (align with J.Dickenburg model of part D).
- Accelerate fast tracking of recognition.
- Parallel of training fact-tech process without reducing qualifications. (?)
- States should look at easing restrictions of moving certificate of competency between states.
- Marine Orders to allow for recognition if approved by manager that sea time/skills are equivalent.
- Need equivalent qualifications as well as training.
Presentations/abstracts
Please find listed below links to abstracts and presentations that were presented at the forum. Outcomes of the workshop will be available at a later date.
Presenter |
Presentation/Report details |
| Cody, Mark | The Skills Crisis – What it means for our industry To view abstract <click here> |
| Cribb, David and Metcalf, Peter | Scope of the problem - Passenger vessels To view presentation <click here> |
| Dikkenberg, John | The safety requirements & alternative sources of personnel for the Industry - Abstract To view abstract <click here> To view presentation <click here> |
| Donaldson, Sherry | New approaches & Initiatives To view speech <click here> To view presentation <click here> |
| Evans, Phillip | An alternatives structure for Qualifications To view abstract <click here> To view full paper <click here> |
| Groves, Brad | A New Approach to Engineering Skills Recognition To view abstract <click here> |
| Hardgrave, Gary | Federal Member for Moreton, Chair for the Standing Committee on Employment, Workplace Relations and Workforce Participation To view abstract <click here> |
| Hewitt, Terry | Attracting Engineers and Crews back to the Seafood Industry To view presentation <click here> |
| Hunt, Steve | Assesment of Seatim - Review of the ROPES system To view abstract <click here> To view presentation <click here> |
| Lee, Brett | National Industry Skills Initiative To view report <click here> |
| Parsons, Dennis | Defining the problems and issues and meeting future marine industry skills needs To view abstract <click here> To view full paper <click here> |
