We tend to take engineers for granted; yet they are responsible for the smooth running of our daily lives. They make sure our buildings don’t cave in on us and that we have access to a regular supply of water and electricity. They ensure that our traffic lights work and that our waste systems are functional. Without essential systems like these in place, our lives would be utter chaos. That’s why engineers are so important. But in Australia, they are incredibly scarce. There has been a huge drive for skilled labour over the years, yet the country still has serious skills shortages, especially when it comes to engineers. Here are a few reasons as to why these skills are so acute, and what this means for Australia.
The problem starts at school
When it comes to maths and science education, Australia doesn’t fare so well. According to the No More Excuses Report, millions of Australians have insufficient language, literacy and numeracy skills to fully benefit from skills training. According to a recent survey, Australia ranks 20th in the OECD countries for the number of university graduates with an engineering degree. That’s out of 30 countries (theconversation.edu.au). A survey done by the Science and Technology institute shows that one in ten Australians believe that humans and dinosaurs co-existed and one fifth of university graduates think that it takes a day for the Earth to rotate around the sun!
Australia is lagging behind globally
The severe lack of skills is also causing Australia to be less internationally competitive. Australia’s tiny population sits at only 22 million and its rapidly aging population is compounding the problem. To add to this, China and India are leaving the Wallabies in the dust, as 50% of the world’s engineering graduates now come from Asia (Canberra Times 2012). Due to its small population, Australia only produces 2% of the world’s scientific knowledge (theconversation.edu.au), which makes the need for outside science-based expertise even more acute.
What does the future look like?
Based on its current shortages, the demand for foreign skilled labour will continue to be huge. According to The Canberra Times, the effects of the shortages will be felt within the next 20 years. But that’s only if the government can’t encourage enough outside skilled workers. Australia needs engineers to maintain its first world standards and the government is aware of this, as roads need to be built, productivity needs a boost and competitiveness needs to be increased. This can only be achieved through importing these much-needed skills. What does this translate for foreign engineers? Simple: Australia needs you…urgently!