Maritime. ASCO/ANZSCO Code Occupation Training Package Qualification Justification/evidence (qualitative and/or quantitative)

Transcription

1 Deck Hand Deck Hand, General Purpose Hand, Seafarer Integrated Rating TDM20107 Certificate II in Transport & Distribution ( Operations) TDM30107 Certificate III in Transport & Distribution ( Operations) TDM30307 Certificate III in Transport & Distribution ( Operations Integrated Rating) New investment in offshore oil and gas projects will intensify the need for qualified seafarers. 1 A recent DEEWR survey reported that many seafaring employers in the offshore oil and gas sector expect to increase their workforce by up to 39 per cent. More than half of the surveyed employers said the cost of training entry-level seafarers was a significant issue, along with seafarers leaving during or immediately after the completion of training. Integrated Ratings have the highest turnover, mainly due to changing roles within the industry. 2 There is also evidence of a training backlog caused by the lack of on-board training berths. This situation is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. 3,4,5 Small-tomedium-sized companies experience a higher demand for Deck Officers, General Purpose Hands and Ship s Captains Ship's Engineer Marine Engineer TDM50207 Diploma of Transport & Distribution (Marine Engineering Engineer Watchkeeper) TDM50407 Diploma of Transport & Distribution (Coastal Marine Engineering Engineer Class 3) TDM60207 Advanced Diploma of Transport & Distribution (Marine Engineering Class 1) TDM60307 Advanced Diploma of Transport & Distribution (Marine Engineering Class 2) The skill shortage in this occupation is related to a global shortage of Marine Officers and Engineers. It has been estimated that there will be a global officer shortfall of about 43,000 in The overall shortage of Marine Officers is more acute in technical maritime occupations, including Marine Engineers, Marine Pilots and Ship s Captains. 8 The ageing of the seafarer workforce is a significant issue. Employers surveyed by DEEWR reported that up to 44 per cent of their seafarer workforce was aged 45 years and older (and therefore approaching retirement). This compares with 38 per cent of the Australian workforce overall. 9 The age profile can only be addressed by a substantial increase in training of new entrants, especially in technical occupations. Training of engineers is costly, especially so if they leave a company on completion of their training for more lucrative opportunities Transport & Logistics Industry Skills Council

2 There is evidence that many employers are unwilling, under present conditions, to commit to a long-term training strategy. The Australian-flagged blue water fleet is half the size that it was 20 years ago, which has also severely limited the capacity for training. However, the growth in workforce requirements of ports and offshore oil and gas is significantly boosting demand for skilled marine personnel. 11,12 One of the key challenges for Marine Engineer training, like many other maritime occupations, is that the trainee needs an industry sponsor, which includes employment and time spent upon a ship. There are a limited group of shipping companies that do offer training to Marine Engineers and they are inundated with requests from job/career applicants. 13 A high turnover of qualified seafarers is reported by employers, with 82 per cent surveyed indicating one or more seafarers left their business to work in the offshore oil and gas sector Transport & Logistics Industry Skills Council Ship s Master Ship s Captain/ Ship s Master TDM40307 Certificate IV in Transport & Distribution (Coastal Marine Operations Master Class 4) TDM50307 Diploma of Transport & Distribution ( Operations Deck Watchkeeper) TDM50507 Diploma of Transport & Distribution (Coastal Operations Master 3) Shortages of appropriately trained Masters and Deck Officers remain constant issues. Challenges associated with maritime trainees gaining sufficient sea time and vessel type experience to meet regulated training requirements form significant barriers to skills development and career progression. 15 A key issue remains where a small number of shipping organisations train ship s officers only to have them recruited by other organisations shortly after achieving their higher maritime tickets. The time taken to train officers is significant, so it is impossible to increase the skills base quickly. Even a slow reduction in the overall skills pool will take many years to rebuild. 16

3 TDM30407 Certificate III in Transport & Distribution (Coastal Marine Operations Master Class 5) This situation is further compounded by the reduction in the Australian shipping fleet, which further narrows the number of domestic maritime officer positions available Ship s Master Marine Pilot Ship s Pilot Sea Pilot TDM60407 Advanced Diploma of Transport & Distribution ( Operations Master Unlimited) TDM60407 Advanced Diploma of Transport & Distribution ( Operations Master Unlimited) The burgeoning oil and gas sector will draw more deeply on the domestic maritime officers skills pool, which offers higher wages and more attractive conditions. 18,19 This occupation has relied on long-time sea service as the seafarer progresses through the hierarchy of licences on the way to becoming a Marine Pilot. This means that labour shortages in underpinning occupations have a flow-on effect to the availability of Marine Pilots. The present pool of Marine Pilots has an average age of 45 years and a significant proportion is approaching retirement. 20 The majority of our survey respondents believe that skills shortages in maritime generally will only exacerbate this situation. 21 Expected growth in trade volumes means increased demand for Marine Pilots. This demand is not being matched by a corresponding growth in the number of new pilots entering the workforce. There is an increased demand for Marine Pilots from the offshore oil and gas sector. Competition for these skills has resulted in higher salaries and favourable working conditions that attract qualified workers away from ports that are not associated with the oil and gas sector. As a result, there is evidence of localised skill shortages for Marine Pilots in some ports Transport & Logistics Industry Skills Council

4 Certain ports are more disadvantaged than others because of their location, i.e., remote regional ports. These ports often resort to using the services of private pilotage companies or recruiting overseas for suitable candidates Ship s Officer Ship s Officer, Deck Officer, Ship s Navigating Officer TDM50307 Diploma of Transport and Distribution ( Operations-Deck Watchkeeper) There remains significant interest from individuals seeking entry into the industry to pursue officer roles. Limitations remain in gaining the appropriate berths to undertake training on-board a vessel and, given the relative size of the Australian shipping fleet, actual job roles are limited Transport & Logistics Industry Skills Council Workplace Trainers and Assessors VET Teacher (includes Workplace Training and Assessment), Industry specific TAE40110 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment training in Australia is limited to a small group of highly specialised training organisations. Training is typically formed around a college and an on-board component. The college component is provided by VET or higher education training providers and on-board training is normally supervised by a senior maritime or supervising officer. The use of the national VET training and assessment qualification (TAE40110) or its equivalent has not been widely adopted in the industry. It has instead relied on higher-level qualifications and experience being applied by the supervising officer/ personnel. Changes to the content and structure of maritime qualifications under review may have the capacity to encourage a stronger link between VET qualifications and seatime training and, consequently, an increased adoption of the TAE qualification by maritime personnel.

5 endnotes 1,10,12,19 2,3,9,14 4 5,18 6,8, ,20,22 13,21, ,24 Resourcing the Future Skills. Australian Shipowners Association Submission to National Resources Sector Employment Taskforce. April Survey of Employers Recruitment Experiences Industry Oil and Gas Sector. DEEWR. May Rebuilding Australia s Coastal Shipping Industry Inquiry into coastal shipping policy and regulation. House of Representatives Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development & Local Government. October Union of Australia (MUA) Submission to National Resource Sector Employment Task Force. 9 April Transport and Logistics Environmental Scan 2011 Survey. Transport and Logistics Industry Skills Council Address to the 26th Assembly of the International Organization. Anthony Albanese MP. Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Services and Local Government. 2 December The future of skills in the Australian ports industry; a case study of four selected ports. TLISC Research in progress. Environmental Scan Key Stakeholder Consultations Rebuilding Australia s Coastal Shipping Industry Inquiry into coastal shipping policy and regulation. House of Representatives Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development & Local Government. October Australian Officers Union submission to Coastal Shipping Policy and Regulation Inquiry, 49 Transport & Logistics Industry Skills Council