Skills and Careers

Victoria has a large and highly skilled workforce. Companies based within Victoria enjoy access to the most highly educated workforce within Australia, a large ratio of which have tertiary degrees in engineering and IT.

Victorian defence businesses employ:

• over 1500 professional engineers
• 2300 technical non-professionals
• 475 project managers
• 1000 professional non-technical staff

These figures do not include the numerous skilled staff in the commercial aerospace sector (around 1000) and the state’s universities and research bodies. For example, the Defence Science and Technology Organisation employs over 500 engineers, scientists and researchers in Victoria.

Skill constraints in Victoria are low

Globalisation, population ageing and the acceleration of innovation in developed countries has led to pressures to attract and retain skilled workers in many countries. Australia is no exception to this pattern. However, through a sustained effort on education and training, and its ability to attract skilled workers from other parts of Australia and overseas, Victoria is in a much stronger position to meet skills needs than other states. Skill shortages in Victoria are low and declining, and are not acting as a constraint on employment growth.

Victoria is well placed to meet the skills need of the future

Victoria is well placed to meet the skill needs of future defence projects. To sustain our strong defence industry, Victoria offers:

• staff training and up-skilling programs: 83 percent of Victorian defence companies have staff training and up-skilling programs, with a total spend on training of $12 million, in addition to structured on-the-job training
• world class universities and training institutions: nine universities and 18 technical colleges offer courses in electronics, electrical engineering, IT, control systems, and communications engineering
• Australia’s largest share of university graduates in defence-related fields: in 2005, Victorian universities hosted 20,182 students in engineering and related technologies (31 percent of the national total) and 22,376 in information technologies (35 percent of the national total)
• government support for skills development: the Victorian Government has established a robust approach to lifting the skills base of the workforce and ensuring that skills development can better match industry needs. The Government invests over $1 billion annually in the TAFE training system, and has made critical changes to focus training on delivering the knowledge and skills for innovation-led growth
• Australia's largest share of apprenticeships and traineeships: in the 12 months to March 2006, there were 45,400 apprenticeship and traineeship completions in Victoria, 32.2 percent of the national total and the highest of all states and territories
• flexible apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities: the Government is working with stakeholders such as the Australian Industry Group and unions to grow apprenticeships and to make them more attractive by using modular and flexible approaches
• Australia's largest concentration of aerospace education and training facilities

For more information on some of the Victorian education institutions that ensure a constant supply of highly skilled defence staff, visit our page on education and training facilities for the defence industry.

Victoria is a preferred destination for skilled and business migrants

Victoria has now overtaken New South Wales to become the most popular Australian destination for business migrants. Victoria attracted 29 percent of business migrants who arrived in Australia in the past year – compared to 22 percent in New South Wales.

Victoria offers a skilled migration program to assist Victorian employers and skilled and business migrants. The program offers a range of free services including free online advertising of job vacancies, information on Victorian sponsored visa options, assistance with overseas skills recognition and a database of registered job-ready migrants. The program is supported by the comprehensive 'Live in Victoria' website. Since the program was launched, Victoria’s share of Australia’s skilled migrants has increased from 19 percent in 1999 to over 30 percent.

Victoria also offers the Regional Migration Incentive Fund, which supports regional areas to develop and implement local strategies to attract, receive and retain skilled and business migrants. Local initiatives include English language training, referral to education, training and employment services, work experience for Melbourne based migrants in regional Victoria, temporary housing assistance and industry information sessions.

Other relevant government strategies

Through Victoria’s Careers in Manufacturing strategy, Year 9 and 10 students are being actively encouraged to consider career opportunities in manufacturing, exposing students to many new areas of design, systems development, science and research, as well as trades. Defence industries are included in the Government's new website providing information to prospective manufacturing workers, It's Your Future.

Launched at the 2007 Australian International Airshow, the Victorian Government has produced an interactive CD-ROM to promote careers in the defence industry. 'Target your career' is a comprehensive information and resource product providing useful insight into the types of careers in the defence sector, career pathways, and training and study information. The CD-ROM was distributed to careers advisers, teachers, parents and students as part of the Careers & Skills Showcase at the Airshow. A wider roll-out is being developed.

The Department is working with industry to coordinate industry representatives visiting schools to talk to students about careers in the defence industry.

Maintaining the Advantage: Skilled Victorians is the Government’s strategy to ensure Victoria’s education and training system will maintain its lead position. The strategy includes new investment of $271.47 million to put in place the necessary steps to make the State’s training sector more responsive to industry needs, and increase training opportunities for school leavers as well as through career up-skilling.

One such initiative is Industry Skills Advisers. An Industry Skills Adviser (ISA) can help businesses to source and negotiate the relevant, flexible and effective training your business needs. This initiative provides SMEs with access to flexible customised training for existing workers that is relevant to the enterprise's business priorities. ISAs can provide access to training available though VET system, assistant  to negotiate the type of training you require and minimising the time you have to spend sourcing training, broker training and connection to training providers, training needs analysis, employee assessments for current competencies, advice on financial assistance for training costs. ISAs for Advanced Manufacturing are delivered by Australian Manufacturing technology Institute Limited (AMTIL).

Contact: Greg Chalker gchalker@amtil.com.au

Another initiative is Skills Stores. Skills stores provide friendly, expert advice on the many opportunities and options available through Victoria's vocational education and training system to assist in developing and expanding your business.