Gearing up for skill demand in plastics industry
23 July 2004
A predicted skills shortage in the plastics manufacturing industry is being tackled by Kangan Batman TAFE with moves to promote the plastics industry as a cutting-edge career choice with high employability.
The rapidly expanding plastics, or polymer, industry is likely to face a shortage of highly skilled labour within five to ten years, according to Kangan Batman's Polymer Centre Manager, Bill Rees.
"The plastics industry is going to be demanding higher-level technician skills to meet their needs. At the present rate there won't be enough skilled technicians to fill the positions available," says Mr Rees.
"The demand for skilled workers is due in part to the tendency for manufacturing companies to employ semi-skilled, and cheaper, labour overseas rather than in Australia," he said.
"It is also due to the manufacturing industry having undergone a revolution in production methods over the last 20 years. There are more robots and computerised machinery used. Companies are now looking for people who understand and can program these machines, people who can troubleshoot, because the processes are now so sophisticated."
"The industry is needing people trained for high level technical positions such as product design, tools design and die setting. These are all positions that require an aptitude for development and problem solving, in addition to manual skills."
"Unfortunately, manufacturing suffers from an outdated image that may stem back to experiences of parents or grandparents who worked in factories, and were often badly paid. What was once a dirty, noisy, dangerous environment is now very clean and highly regulated, particularly in the food processing, dental, medical and automotive manufacturing sectors."
"The terminology used within the industry often contributes to misconceptions about the type of work being done. Die setting is often mistakenly thought to mean dye setting, or somehow working with dyes and inks, when in fact dies are the moulds and shaping tools used in these processes. They are usually constructed from hardened steels and can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars."
"So skilled, experienced technicians can earn good money. It would not be unusual for someone with qualifications and experience to be earning $50 to $70 thousand a year," he said.
"We find that a lot of students come in and complete a Certificate III, find employment and are paid by their employer to return to study and upgrade to a Diploma whilst working."
"It is also not uncommon for an employer to send an employee overseas to receive training on a specific machine from the manufacturer, or subsidise the cost of further education at university level"
The range of work is quite extensive from automotive, food packaging, general packaging, building and construction, dental or medical equipment to domestic products in both big companies and smaller businesses.
"There is a high employability factor with our courses, most of our students have found a job quickly," said Mr Rees.
The Polymer Centre together with AMTIL, Whittlesea LLEN, and the Commonwealth Department of Education Science and Training is conducting a YouthLink information session on careers in manufacturing. For more information please contact Kangan Batman TAFE on (03) 9279 2429.
About the Polymer Centre
The Polymer Centre was established in February 2001 when Kangan Batman TAFE built a stunning new state-of-the-art, 2,200 square metre plastics training facility at its Broadmeadows campus.
The Polymer Engineering Centre is the largest, best-equipped and most comprehensive plastics training facility in Australia. The centre includes workshops for injection moulding, rotational moulding, extrusion (pipe, profile and sheet), blown film, thermoforming and fabrication.
The centre combines leading-edge learning technology, machinery, and design and material developments under one roof. Programs for the plastics industry range from entry-level training through to technician and advanced diploma qualifications, as well as high-level courses in plastics tooling and part design. Courses are provided in all major thermoplastic processing as well as composite materials.
In addition to being a world-class training provider, the Polymer Engineering Centre has also been designed as a venue for plastics companies and organisations to showcase their products and equipment or the industry in general. Organisations are able to use the facility for conferences, trade shows, or even just demonstrations or site visits with clients.
