News
Parents to blame for shortage
Parents who push their children into enrolling in high-status university degrees, such as law, are to blame for Australia’s current skilled worker shortage
This is the verdict given by authors of a recently released study. The study, conducted by training college, the APM Institute, found that parents tend to place too much emphasis on the link between their child having a degree and their likely success of finding a job, regardless of whether the eventual job is in the same field as the qualification.
Around 85 per cent of the parents surveyed stated that they imagined employers would be more inclined to hire university graduates. However, just 29 per cent thought that attending university was the best preparation for a job, with the remainder placing far greater value on on-the-job training. "It is critical that parents are aware of these findings and don't push their child in the wrong direction," said Alan Kuczynski, executive director of the APM Institute."More than 30 per cent of university graduates drop out because they were coerced into going to a place that wasn't really suited to their needs," he added.
According to the federal government Australia is facing a shortfall of almost 200,000 workers by the end of the decade, although they say it is an ageing population which is harming the country's labour market. "Over the next five years the estimated impact of population ageing is equivalent to a shortfall of 195,000 workers," a report released by workplace relations minister Kevin Andrews stated.
The report claims that every industry in Australia will be affected by the shortages, particularly mining and manufacturing.
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13 December 2006