Vic Government demands skills drive
MELBOURNE: The Victorian Government has identified flexible training as a key component to ensuring the ongoing viability of the textiles, clothing and footwear sector.
In a document tendered to the Rudd Government's TCF Review, the state government called for a "thorough" review of the alignment of existing TCF training programs and the skills requirements of the sector to overcome existing skills shortages and address future needs.
The submission confirmed high-level skills shortages in Victoria included clothing pre-production skills such as patternmaking, cutting, merchandising and quality control, fitting, interpreting patterns, instructing and advising off-shore makers, supply chain knowledge, IT literacy and short run sampling.
Other niche skills shortages related to medical grade footwear skills - including pedorthic assessment, footwear modification and expertise in orthoses, as well as textile mechanical skills such as those utilised by machine setters.
"The challenge therefore is to create a training program that offers the industry freedom to select the right mix of skills and to use flexible delivery programs including work based training."
The submission also stated that the regional concentration of technical textiles highlighted the importance of forming training partnerships between local and national training providers. Business skills education was also growing in importance, given the increasingly global and competitive fashion market.
"As business operations change to respond to competition, skills used in stock and quality control, customer service and computer literacy are becoming more important. In order to address these issues, the industry is increasingly looking to principles associated with lean manufacturing which require employees to multi-skill, manage and implement change, provide higher levels of service and quality, adapt to new products and technologies and communicate at all levels."
Aside from flexible learning initiatives, the Victorian Government's submission also recommended a thorough evaluation of the effectiveness of post-2005 industry assistance programs, while stipulating that the needs of emerging niche industries, such as technical textiles should not be excluded from post-2010 assistance.
Evaluation of future assistance should also give consideration to the issues confronting regional TCF firms and communities and the ongoing workforce development requirements for training, re-training and up-skilling senior workers. It was also recommended that government assistance for investment and innovation or structural adjustment should be considered "within the context of environmental and ethical employment concerns".
By Belinda Smart