Cooperation, not Competition, is Key to Solving Skills Shortage

There needs to be more cooperation rather than competition between oil and gas employers if Australia is to address the skills shortage griping its fast-growing liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry, according to Keith Spence, Board member of the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency (formerly Skills Australia).

With $200 billion worth of LNG projects in the pipeline, Australia could be producing 120 million tonnes per annum by 2020, a six fold increase in production that will make Australia the world’s largest producer of the cleaner burning fuel.

Mr Spence said Australia would require a two-fold increase in operations staff to meet upstream and downstream requirements by 2015.

“The industry needs a collective plan to address this shortfall. Everyone is looking after their own plans, but there is no overall picture of the response. Is enough being done? In short, we don’t know,” he said.

Mr Spence will discuss the LNG industry’s skills and training needs for the future at the Australian Gas Technology Conference (AGT) in Perth on 25 July.

He said there was opportunity to train additional operators between now and 2015 to meet the LNG industry’s needs, but it will require a more collaborative industry approach than in the past.

“In the past, the oil and gas sector could be selective during recruitment, often having a large pool of applicants wanting to get into the industry. Training could be undertaken in house at the company level,” said Mr Spence.

“But now with all the additional LNG projects coming online and the need for other similarly qualified workers across the resources sector as a whole, a more strategic, collective industry training effort is required to meet the demand for workers.”

Mr Spence said the industry had started training new workers, recognising the shortfall of trained operators, but stressed that more needs to be done.

“There are number of initiatives and training programs currently in place through established partnerships with industry and education facilities, which are a good start to addressing the demand for skilled workers in the sector,” he said.

“However, there are limitations on the number of workers that can be trained at any one time, as there are only a few established training facilities. To meet industry needs in the next four years, the training efforts will need to grow right across Australia to train local Australians in local jobs.”

Mr Spence’s presentation will be one of a number of topical sessions in the AGT Conference’s skills and sourcing stream, which aims to address the resourcing challenges of the gas industry.

AGT will also encourage the next generation of workers to pursue a career in the gas industry through its Careers & Training seminar program, giving tertiary and TAFE students and job seekers a chance to hear free presentations, learn career pathways and have face-to-face time with major employers and training bodies.

Launched by the organisers of the Australasian Oil & Gas Exhibition & Conference (AOG), AGT is a unique event for Australia’s gas industry taking place at Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre from 25-27 July 2012.

For more information visit www.agtexpo.com.au.