Isuzu welcomes looming workforce boost

Following on from the Jobs and Skills Summit held in Canberra recently, Isuzu Australia Limited has welcomed some key outcomes that promise to help address the labour squeeze and skills shortage that are currently hampering the truck industry, as they are many others.

Among the initiatives announced during the summit, the Federal Government has pledged to allocated an extra $1 billion in funding for fee-free TAFE places, with 180,000 more places to be made available in 2023, while the annual migration cap will be increased to 195,000.

Isuzu’s National Service Manager, Brett Stewart, said both measures would ultimately help Australia’s road transport industry, among many others.

“As we all know, the skills shortage has been affecting the road transport industry, with qualified drivers and mechanics in short supply,” Mr Stewart said.

“IAL is keen to see some real solutions being rolled out in the wake of the jobs and skills summit.”

Australia’s National Skills Commission has found that 42 per cent of technician and trade occupations are experiencing a skills shortage, compared to 19 per cent of all occupations.

Meanwhile, research from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) indicates that one third of all first-year apprentices do not go on to complete their training, while under half of all apprenticeships begun in Australia in 2017 were completed.

Isuzu says it offers a range of programs to attract, upskill and retain staff, including apprentices.

Two Melbourne-based Isuzu dealerships have teamed up to offer the Westar and Patterson Cheney Apprentice Academy, with a group of 12 apprentices now more than halfway through their first year.

These apprentices undertake a range of paid work and training and attend TAFE together every two months.??They can become either qualified heavy commercial vehicle technicians or auto electricians, with training provided in all areas of service and pre-delivery.

They can also obtain a forklift licence, first aid qualifications, a truck licence, a Certificate II in Automotive Air Conditioning and an Arctic A/C refrigerant handling licence.

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Meanwhile, the Isuzu National Technical Skills Competition pits technicians and apprentices against each other in a friendly battle of skills. The two winners of this year’s national competition will compete against technicians from 40 different countries in the international event later this year, dubbed the I-1Grand Prix.

Eight apprentices and eight Isuzu technicians travelled to Isuzu’s head office in Melbourne in August for the national competition, which this year took the form of a one-hour written exam and a one-hour on-vehicle exercise.

This year’s skills competition also saw the inclusion of an apprentice category and a State of Origin component, to further address the skills shortage and help build career pathways.

And for five fortunate Isuzu technicians who wanted to experience life in the fast lane, a collaboration with the Walkinshaw Andretti United V8 Supercar race team saw them join pit crews at this year’s Repco Supercars Championship.

The technicians worked alongside the official pit crew on race days around Australia, holding their own with the best of the best.

“The pit crew program is part of Isuzu’s focus on building the skills and incentivising the roles of Isuzu technicians, the people who keep Isuzu’s Australian fleet on the road,” Mr Stewart said.

“A job as a heavy vehicle technician can open many doors; building skills is a lifelong pursuit and Isuzu is dedicated to investing in their technicians today so that they can lead in the future.”

Mr Stewart says that while the national skills shortage will require a multi-faceted approach, Isuzu welcomes any and all meaningful programs that will help address this pressing issue.