Winning the Skills Battle and losing the Knowledge War - How we can invest heavily in formal training schemes and still be uncompetitive

1. WINNING THE SKILLS BATTLES AND LOSING THE KNOWLEDGE WAR How the transport and logistics (T&L) sector in Australia can invest heavily in training and still be uncompetitive

2. How the industry is perceived...

3. Transport and Logistics in Australia – Perception or Reality? conservative operational rustbelt undereducated lacking innovation boring a blokes industry 2% margins old world ageing not into technology

6. CURRENT STATE OF PLAY Most organisations have some training and development, succession planning, innovation, strategies Industry invests approx $1.2 billion per year in training Formal state and national training systems are in place Private consultants are everywhere

8. This is an “on-the-job” and vocational based industry that relies heavily on people who know that they are doing on a daily basis as they deal with clients and customers. However it also relies on back office systems and ICT to link supply chains together LOW TECH + HIGH TECH

9. MOVEMENT AND IMPROVEMENT Numbers of apprentices and trainees have increased over the past ten years People enrolled in AQF courses have increased Some sectors (road transport) have done better than others Some organisations are responding to the growing sense of urgency as the ageing demographic emerges

10. All of this is not enough. Skill loss is still growing; Corporate memory is leaving; Talent is leaving, or not joining; and the industry image remains poor in career terms We have to change the way we think about the industry This is about building industry capability from the ground up, not just training more people

12. Attract, Recruit, Retain Staff Create, Share, Sustain Corporate Knowledge Train, Educate, Develop, Coach, Mentor, Everyone + + = BUILDING CAPABILITY

14. LET’S FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON OUT THERE! A national T&L workforce plan must be agreed; based on sound empirical research and reliable data We need to have a much better understanding on the scope and nature of the T&L industry in Australia, and a study needs to be undertaken across all modes in order to appreciate the complexity of sector. Such a study should focus on skills, changes in workforce demographics and future trends in the job market in T&L.

15. GET MORE KIDS INTO THE INDUSTRY! An education and awareness campaign run through careers advisors, teachers, community groups and parents. This will include production and distribution of written materials, digital media and internet sites that promote careers in the sector amongst school leavers. Awareness Raising In Schools About Transport And Logistics As A Career Option

16. TEACH ABOUT T&L IN SCHOOLS! Rejuvenation of the junior secondary curriculum to include T&L studies as part of the core framework. It is years 6-10 that students tend to make decisions about the kind of work they want to do when they leave school. Curriculum Development To Include Transport And Logistics In Junior Secondary (Years 6-10)

17. GET MORE TRAINEES AND APPRENTICES! Creation of additional pre vocational traineeships across the sector, across all modes. The sector has been performing well in this regard, but there is a need to raise the stakes as the ageing demographic moves through the workforce in the coming decade. Additional Pre Vocational Traineeships And Pre Apprenticeships

18. SHARE THE WISDOM! Creation of a national mentoring and coaching scheme using employees and recently retired employees. The amount of corporate memory and knowledge that is walking out the doors of business and government is staggering. We need to retain and share this knowledge through new ways and means. Development And Sharing Models Of Mentoring/Coaching Systems

19. MAKE LEARNING ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE! Seamless articulation from vocational to higher education through development of common curriculum, recognition of vocational qualifications and encouragement of dual sector campuses. Making The Intersection Between Vocational And Higher Education Seamless And Easy For People In The Sector

20. RECOGNISE TALENT! Creation of system of professional degrees and awards that recognizes the work experience of key employees at all levels. This implies recognition of senior managers, senior operators and specialists who have made outstanding contributions to their craft, but who never had the opportunity to attend formal classes in later years. Establishment Of Professional Awards For Outstanding People In The Sector

21. MAKE LEARNING FOR LIFE! Modeling of school to work to vocational training to higher education in key areas of skill shortages e.g. railway signaling, transport safety management. Identification of life long pathways that articulate from school to TAFE to University. Support Additional Life Long Learning Pathways In The Sector In Conjunction With Established Institutions

22. SHOW PEOPLE THE WAY! Career paths mapped and agreed across the sector and linked to recruitment and rewards systems. Working with management to align workforce planning with organisation structures and the desires of younger people for careers in the sector. Assist To Map The Various Career Paths Open To People Joining The Sector In All Modes – Road, Rail, Aviation, Maritime, Distribution And Logistics

23. CONNECT PEOPLE! Creation of a single web portal for open access to education, communities of practice, knowledge and all related web sites. A powerful and exciting introduction to the internet for everyone in the sector. Interactive capacity with Business to Business and Person to Person possibilities. Creation Of A National Web Gateway – Totally Intelligent Logistics Inquiry Service (TILIS) – To Promote An Online Market Exchange and Clearing House for ideas

24. GET THE ACADEMICS TO WORK TOGETHER! Bringing together the best of the best academics in teaching, innovation and training to work on common problems and deliver common programmes across Australia. There are a many good academics, but they tend to work together on an ad hoc basis. There are also key examples of how this can be done well e.g. PATREC in Perth, the North West Logistics College in the UK Encourage The Development Of An Education and Training Consortium To Promote Teaching and Training At All Levels – Professional Development, Vocational and Higher Ed

25. TELL STORIES ABOUT THE INDUSTRY! Capturing the stories of knowledge management and how to do it and writing them up and sharing them. People telling stories that contain knowledge and wisdom are the critical element in learning – this applies on the job as well as in classrooms. The more stories we collect the more useful the database. Develop Case Studies In Good Practice Knowledge Management

26. GET PEOPLE TOGETHER FACE TO FACE! Establishment of the idea of communities of practice as ways and means of creating, sustaining and sharing knowledge. Informal gatherings and collaborative tasks are ways and means of placing people with knowledge next to each other. Some disciplines e.g. doctors and lawyers, do this already but it is a novel way of sharing knowledge in the T&L sector. Support Key Communities Of Practice In Disciplines And Operational Areas

27. BETTER TOOLS FOR THE JOB! Development of accessible and open tools and techniques to enable organisations in individuals to share information, and pass on knowledge to future generations. There are ideas about innovation, creativity, succession planning, pre-retirement intellectual property schemes and more. Develop Tools And Methods To Enhance Knowledge Management And Knowledge Transfer, Especially In Succession Planning And Pre-Retirement Schemes

29. www.talc.com.au www.tilis.com.au