Background

Extensive research has identified that Western Australia will not have sufficient workers – both skilled and unskilled, to meet the future demands of industry. There is a need for a Statewide WA workforce development plan to ensure industry has access to a skilled workforce in order to maximise future opportunities.

The unprecedented scale of planned resource projects means Western Australia is now on the brink of a significant upturn in economic activity.

For example, the $43 billion Gorgon natural gas processing project is the largest of any kind in Australia, and will have a significant positive economic impact for Western Australia. In total, there are currently more than $100 billion worth of resource projects either committed or under consideration for Western Australia during the next few years. These projects alone are likely to create more than 40,000 jobs in construction and 12,500 permanent jobs.

In addition, the flow on effect is likely to lead to a significant increase in demand for both skills and labour in all industries and regions throughout Western Australia. Strong growth in the resources sector can lead to other industries being ‘crowded out’ of the labour market when trying to attract staff .

Access Economics has predicted a significant increase in employment for Western Australia, as outlined below, with more than 350,000 new jobs estimated to be created by 2019/20.

These projections complement a range of other research, including from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Western Australia and the Chamber of Minerals and Energy Western Australia, all highlighting significant employment growth and the difficulty in building and maintaining a capable workforce during periods of sustained economic expansion.

The recent approach to training in Western Australia has been successful, having achieved an increase in overall enrolments and most notably participation in apprenticeships and traineeships and higher level qualifications. However, this is no longer sufficient. There needs to be a fundamental change to the training system to take advantage of the economic opportunities that lie ahead and provide industry with the skills they need.

Such fundamental change was initiated in May 2009 when the State Government launched Training WA: Planning for the future 2009-2018, which outlines the 10 year vision to transform Western Australia’s training system. The focus is on two key areas – significantly increasing participation in training so people maximise their potential; and ensuring greater flexibility for the training system.

The target for training participation to 2012 is outlined below.

These changes were consolidated on 31 August 2009 with the State Government announcing the creation of the new Department of Training and Workforce Development. The Department of Training and Workforce Development will ensure a more focussed delivery of training services to industry and the community.