Overview

Initially the skills shortage problem was seen as attracting young people to a career in the industry. However the issue is much wider. There will be less and less young people coming into the workforce due to the profile of our population.

We also need to work to retain existing staff in the industry and to offer more flexible working environments to retain staff longer in the industry who may have otherwise considered retiring.

IPWEA Quick Guide
Actions for State Divisions Maintain a State Skills Shortage Committee Support the IPWEA Gundies (young engineering group) initiative Attend Engineers Australia career expos Develop relationships /networks Universities TAFE Colleges Develop relationship with State LGA Attend career expos for secondary school students with LGA (Local Government as a Career) Seek a link to/from LGA’s website to the IPWEA skills shortage webpage Resources IPWEA Careers website (here)  Power point slide show (download) Careers brochure (download) Engineering Careers booklet Guidelines & Templates IPWEA Engineering Fully Loaded website - a must see!	Actions for Organisations Develop a relationship with schools Offer work experience to secondary students Provide a link on your council website to IPWEA’s Skills Shortage webpage Introduce a mentoring program & mentor training Consider the IPWEA_EA PDP ‘Pathway to Chartered Status’ for existing engineering staff Offer vacation & part time work to TAFE & University undergraduates Ensure funds on the budget! Use the IPWEA jobs notice board (when available) Consider cadetships Develop strategies to retain existing staff eg flexible hours, part time work, job sharing Consider individual needs & professional development Be proactive with staff approaching retirement Employer of Choice initiatives
Alliances Engineers Australia APESMA Austroads Key documents	LGMA & other LG peak bodies Local Government Associations

AYP Forum- held Sydney, 26 May 2005
 Forum Outcomes (PDF)
 Presentation by Peter Taylor (PDF), CEO, Engineers Australia
 Full List of Possible Actions (PDF) - before prioritisation

National Committee- Project Update Reports

 November 2007 (PDF)
 May 2007 (PDF)
 February 2007 (PDF)
 November 2006 (PDF)
 August 2006 (PDF)
 May 2006 (PDF)

Guidelines & Templates

A series of guidelines and templates have been prepared to assist tackle the skills shortages issue. Follow the links to download the individual documents or download a full set (PDF, 278k):

Retaining the Current Workforce  (PDF, 68k)

Work Experience

University Undergraduates Guide  (PDF, 78k)

Position Description Template  (PDF, 80k)

Secondary School Students Guide (PDF, 91k)

Careers Expos Guide (PDF, 115k)

Cadetships

Purpose & Explanation   (PDF, 120k)

TAFE  (PDF, 118k)

University  (PDF, 137k)

Template Agreement  (PDF, 136k)

Scholarships (PDF, 97k)

Mentoring  (PDF, 141k)

Employing Overseas Engineers  (PDF, 144k)

EngQuest - A Guide  (PDF, 119k)

IPWEA welcomes feedback on these documents on how they can be improved or where other examples can be provided.

Ross Moody
   rmoody@ipwea.org.au

 

Engineering as a Career Resources

Career FAQs on Engineering:

A new 160 page book all about Engineering as a Career is now available. It is full of information and a very handy resource for your office ...or as a handout to prospective students thinking of a career in engineering.

It answers questions like:

Why engineering?  What do engineers do?  What makes a good engineer?  Job opportunities  How much can I earn?  Who are the main employers?  What are employers looking for?  What do real people say about their jobs?  What qualifications do I need?  Tip on resumes, cover letters, selection criteria, Do's and Don'ts

The book includes interviews with Warren Sharpe of Eurobodalla Council on what employers are looking for, and Chris Watson, now CEO and former Director Engineering at Rockdale Council, talking about his career path from engineering into management.

Price is $30 plus postage. Download Order Form here.

Careers Brochure

Download  a PDF version of a careers brochure you can print off and make available to schools, universities, or your engineering front counter.

Careers PowerPoint Show - Engineering as a Career

A PowerPoint slide show (PPT) is now also available for download to help you make that next presentation to your local school, rotary club, or other opportunity to explain public works engineering as a career. This is a series of 20 slides that are build on the theme of the careers brochure above.

Information Resources

Editorial by Warren Roberts, IPWEA National President

LG faces major engineering skills shortage

The Great Escape: How retirement, recruitment, and retention are impacting the field of public works - Five critical areas to break the cycle.

Mentoring is a full time job - Be a better role model

Succession Management Planning - Essential to assure an organization's long-term success

Skill Shortages - Civil Engineers have been listed as officially being an area of national skill shortage in Aust.

Finding and Developing Your Future Employees (PDF, 1.4MB file)
Career Planner County of Sarasota in Florida developed a Professional Engineer Development Program. It involves recruitment partnerships with state universities, on-the-job and formal training, rotation assignments and non-competitive performance incentives. Graduates are provided with well defined career path options.

IPWEAQ Career Planner (PDF, 689kb) - Managing your career is not unlike managing a business or a project. You need a clear vision of your objectives, and a strategy to achieve them. You need to do effectively the things that will enhance progress, and work to remove any barriers; and you need a way of tracking anddocumenting your progress. The IPWEAQ Career Planner and Portfolio is designed for use by local government engineers and all practitioners and for general use in engineering organisations. It is in three sections, and we suggest you put it in a ring binder with dividers for easy use, and kept in a close location for continued registration of your activities.