Climate change a trigger for forestry careers?
From the Winter 2008 edition of Bush Telegraph Magazine.
Forester Sandra Madeley is one of 83000 people working in the Australian forestry industry. Photo by David Barnes/Forests NSW Image Library
Withforestry agencies finding it hard to fill graduate positions and a shortage ofskilled labour elsewhere in the timber industry, many employers are hoping the global interestin forest plantations to help offset climate change may lead to careerrevivals. Howard Spencer reports.
Likemany professional groups, forestry recruitment tends to follow cycles. Thelatest trend has been a downturn in forestry degree enrolments, leading toorganisations such as Forests NSW having difficulty in filling entry gradeforestry positions.
Recruitmenthas changed over time from pure forestry degrees, offered by a number ofAustralian universities, to include natural resources and other sciencecredentials.
“The forest industry is a major employer, providing about 83000 jobswithin Australia,” says Forests NSW education officer, Gerard Nolan. “More than28000 of these jobs are in NSW. The annual production value of forestry is $18billion Australia-wide.
“Forest industries offer a diversity of employment across a number ofsectors such as forest growing and management; harvesting and haulage;sawmilling and processing; and many other upstream sectors.”
Gerard said there was evidence of an emerging skills shortage as demandfor qualified staff currently exceeds supply.
“Thisis not just in the science-based forest careers. Many areas from plantoperators to saw doctors currently suffer shortages.
“Employerswith positions requiring tertiary qualifications such as forestry are findingit hard to attract people,” Gerard said.
Forestrydegrees can be obtained through a number of universities. These institutionsare experiencing difficulty in filling courses even though this degree opensopportunities into other natural resource management areas.
“The forest industry is looking to a collaborative approach to improvingcompetitiveness through raising the profile of the industry as well as throughtraining,” Gerard said.
“Organisations like ForestWorks (forestworks.com.au) and groupslike FITNET (Forest Industries Training Network) are seeking to identify trainingneeds and promote effective training programs.”
ForestWorksmaintains networks of enterprises, industry bodies, vocational, education andtraining providers and government agencies and was involved in a new DVD,‘Reach for the Skies’, detailing jobs in the industry.*
ForestsNSW also supports a number of approved TAFE courses in forestry-related fieldswhich mean that non tertiary-educated industry workers will gain recognisedtraining credits.
AusTimber 2008 held in Mount Gambier, South Australia, in March was agreat step forward for advancing the recruitment of people into forestrycareers.
A careers promotion was staged at the same time for 104 high schoolcareers advisors, including 49 from regional New South Wales.
Twentyindustry ambassadors, including Adrian Ryan from Forests NSW human resourcesunit, were assigned to co-host the careers advisors and answer their moredetailed questions on forest industry careers.
“From the direct feedback at the careers conference, the impact on theschool careers advisors was significant,” Adrian said. “The whole 104 said theyhad never been invited to or even heard of an industry event such as ours.
“Itwas clear from their comments that the average student, teacher or person inthe street does not realise the many employment opportunities in the industryas a whole and in Forests NSW in particular.
“Our industry has a huge advantage in that it is totally sustainable andwe work with a renewable resource.
“I am confident the careers conference successfullyraised our profile in the forestry industry, and hopefully it will have anaffect on our recruitment success with school leavers in the next few years.”
Howard Spencer - Public Affairs & Media
