CCF Victorian Bulletin Spring Edition 2017 | Page 5

FROM THE PRESIDENT CONTINUING OUR WORK FOR AND ON BEHALF OF MEMBERS I f someone had told me that in 2017 I would be elected again to the President’s role at CCF Victoria, I would have encouraged them to go get a “check-up” from a suitably qualified medical practitioner! Seriously, I love the industry a nd it was important with the recent departure of former CCF Victoria President, Domenic De-Fazio, that we had continuity and stable leadership at Board level. This will enable us to continue the work we are doing for and on behalf of our members in this State and also at a National level. Hence, I stood for re-election to the Board, and also as your President. I want to thank you all for your continued support and confidence in the newly elected CCF Victoria Board. We look forward to working closely with our members, for the betterment of our industry, in the years ahead. Skills crisis in civil construction is not looming… It’s here At present, one of the greatest challenges confronting our industry is “skills shortages”. Whether it be suitably qualified Engineers, Project Managers, Supervisors, Plant Operators, or Labourers; the accelerated forward works programs and skills guarantee levels set by the State Government for major projects is placing enormous pressure on us to attract, train and retain a “new generation” of workers into the civil construction sector. In 2014, BIS Shrapnel identified civil construction as a key industry sector facing a considerable lack of skilled resources, largely due to the current demands for skilled staff and the significant growth in civil infrastructure spending forecast to occur over the next 5-7 years. Irrespective of which sector, whether it’s Roads, Rail, Land Development, Water, or VEDN; we are now at a critical point. Of major concern is the proportion of workers aged 55+ in the infrastructure sector, with 17% of employees reaching retirement age in the next decade. This includes construction plant operators transitioning to retirement and the ineffectiveness of recruiting students to trades which is being damaged by a lack of focus or value placed on technical careers and the added stigma to the school and students for leaving school ahead of year 12. Save the Date – CCF Victoria President’s Lunch Lock away the afternoon of Friday 17 November 2017 in the calendar for the annual CCF Victoria President’s Lunch. Over 300 CCF members and guests will again come together at the “home of sport”, the mighty MCG for a great afternoon of fine food and entertainment. A key highlight of this year’s lunch will be the formal launch of CivFast, an exciting new ‘online market’ portal, developed exclusively for the civil construction sector, that will connect the thousands of contractors, engineers and suppliers of Australia’s Civil Industry – anytime, anywhere. BOOK EARLY to avoid disappointment… contact Client Support Officer – Membership & Events, Julia Bailey on [phone] or [email protected] for more details. I look forward to catching up with many of you at this year’s lunch and until then… THE BULLETIN – Civil Contractors Federation VIC What is CCF Victoria doing to address this shortage? This edition of the Bulletin covers two major initiatives that are being undertaken by CCF and our Civil Train function to support the broader industry at large (Training Report – page 23). Following our recent MOU with the State Government, our Centre of Excellence in Earthmoving (CEE) program and our Apprenticeships and Traineeships Completions Project (ATCP) are designed to deliver positive outcomes in promoting career opportunities and upskilling in alternative employment sectors, such as civil construction; while identifying the key challenges experienced by contractors and test remedial actions in the attraction and retention of apprentices in our sector. With youth unemployment (between the ages of 15 & 24) currently representing just fewer than 40% of all unemployment in Australia, there has never been a better time to promote the civil industry as a trade. CCF Victoria is advocating for the various civil construction skills to be recognised within the National Training framework as a formal “trade” distinguished with its own Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) identified codes. This will ensure the industry is able to be appropriately reflected within the “National Skills Needs” list and gain the same level of benefits as other more widely recognised trades. With current trades/workers either Mobile Plant Operators or Civil Engineers based on the ANZSCO codes, there are significant benefits to the civil industry having these trades expanded to provide statistical information, identify trends and skills shortages in Building and Construction, as designated role classifications. Changes to ANZSCO, such as adding or moving occupations, are made as part of formal reviews to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). CCF Victoria will be making a formal submission to the ABS at the time of its next review and we will keep members abreast of developments. Andrew Mahar Branch President – CCF Victoria Follow us on... CCF Victoria Civil Contractors Federation VIC SPRING 2017 5