Victorian focus on rail industry support in high schools seen as too narrow
The Victorian government’s high school qualification initiative aimed at supporting rail industry recruitment is insufficiently wide in scope, according to the Victorian Transport Association (VTA).
The state government says the initiative, an “Australian first”, involves a two-year, part-time course for Year 9 and 10 students that will count towards a VCE qualification.
It is announced by ports and freight minister Melissa Horne, who also handles the public transport portfolio and who visited the first class of students at the Rail Academy in Newport to talk about careers in the transport industry and take a site tour of the purpose-built facility.
“Led by the Level Crossing Removal Project, the Victorian rail industry has worked together to develop an introductory rail qualification for high school students, the Certificate II in Heavy and Light Rail Fundamentals (pre-vocational),” the state government says.
The initiative arrives as the state government forecasts its rail infrastructure projects will need about 3,000 new workers in the industry across Victoria by 2024.
Read about Melissa Horne’s address to the VTA conference, here
However, the VTA is looking for the qualification to be extended to the road transport sector to help address its chronic shortage of skilled drivers, pointing to a 2019 Australian Industry Skills Transport and Logistics Skills Forecast finding that more than 80 per cent of employers reported experiencing a skills shortage in the previous 12 months.
The VTA believes the road transport sector needs the same kind of support afforded to the rail industry to capture the interest of future workers at a young age.
“The biggest issue facing the road transport industry is the lack of young people entering the sector and this is a problem that will blow up considering the average age of a truck driver in Victoria is 57 and starting to contemplate retirement,” VTA CEO Peter Anderson says.
“We are working closely with the Victorian government to change our outdated heavy vehicle licensing model so that young people can receive professional training and instruction and start a career as a professional driver straight out of high school.
“However, capturing the interest and imagination of young people aged 15 and over would really help to motivate them towards a career in road transport, which is where a transport qualification that would count towards a student’s VCE qualification would really help.”
The VTA acknowledges state support for its Driver Delivery program, providing specialist heavy vehicle driver training as part of the government’s $4 million program to train 400 new drivers.
Anderson says is a good start towards addressing driver shortages in the sector but emphasises the need to present the option at schools.
“Capturing the interest of young people early, and assuring them that a career in transport is well-paid, respected and valued by society as part of a structured course at high school, could be a game-changer and help the industry to recruit and retain new drivers,” he says.
“We will continue to work closely with the Victorian Government and other stakeholders on creative ways to attract young people to a career as a professional transport worker.”