NCVER no frills - day 2

Day begins with a keynote from Daniel Gschwind who is Chief Executive of Queensland Tourism Council. presentation on Tourism in Australia reaching its potential. Provided an overview of the Queensland Tourism Industry Council, the current state of play, potentialities and the way forward.

QTIC priorities include workforce capacity building. Tapping potential includes providing services which are value for money, consumer focused and requiring development of innovative products and skills in service delivery and entrepreneurship.

First concurrent session for the day with Sinan Gemici from the NCVER on "how realistic are the occupational aspirations of 15 year olds". Presented work completed with Alice Bednarz, Tom Karmel and Patrick Lim.

Aspirations are goals given ideal conditions, interests are emotional dispositions toward a career option and expectations are on occupations that are perceived to be realistic.

Evidence of strong associations between aspirations and longer term education and work outcomes. Data extracted from the LSAY question 'what job do you expect to have at 30' which is answered by students at the age of 15. Answers matched to the ANZSCO occupation status score, the Australian socioeconomic index and gender. Factors influencing occupational aspirations include gender, immigration background, SES, attitudes to school, perceived teacher student relations, perceived disciplinary climate at school, academic performance, friends, parents educational plans.

Factors that matter most are parent plans on whether kids go to University, not University, army, apprenticeship, gap year. Then, academic performance is important. for those who do not go to uni. with poor grades and male, aspirations are to lower status jobs. For those bound for uni. friends plans, teacher student relationships, attitude to school are important.

In general aspirations tend to be above what is available and also actual employment at 25. Therefore aspirations are high at 15 compared with the occupations they move in to. However, females have higher aspirations but do achieve at higher levels of occupational status, but not to level of aspiration.

Full report will be published in next couple of months on NCVER website.

After morning tea, "research methods for effective industry engagement" with Lou de Castro Myles and Melanie O'Toole. From a project on 'moving earth with the right people' in the heavy automotive sector. needed to find out why sector had difficulty attracting and retaining skilled people. so, need to identify job roles and occupations, develop workforce profile.

Method of industry and workforce profiling, survey and interviews and engagement through industry forums. Found that industry was scattered across range of primary, construction, infrastructure services, mining, public and transport / logistics sector with a range of key and associated occupations - operators, mechanics, technicians, fitters and machinists.

Sector characterised by low skills and qualifications, low VET capacity, skills shortages, aging male workforce and below average earnings. Strategies required to improve workforce supply, recruitment and attraction, upskill existing workers and work on workforce retention.

Conference closes with a wrap up and invitation to next year's conference in Melbourne hosted by Holmesglen TAFE.