The skills shortage in the manufacturing and industrial sectors in Australia – and in many other countries around the world – has put the pressure on the welding services and machining industries.

Sourcing skilled workers has become increasingly difficult, says one of the leaders in cnc milling in Perth, with a recent study estimating that by the year 2015, Australia will experience a shortage of 240 000 skilled tradespeople.

Many governments have already put in place some strategies to try and alleviate the skills shortage, such as fast-tracking training programmes, incentivising organisations to employ apprentices etc, but the issue is currently impacting on both the companies in the mechanical, manufacturing and industrial sectors as well as on the service providers eg companies that do welding services, hydraulic rams repairs, machine shop and cnc milling.  The scarcity of skills is also forcing more and more companies to get their staff to work overtime to complete their work – plus they are finding it more and more difficult to deliver products and services to their customers on time.

And because workers are so stretched, they don’t have time to pass on their knowledge and experience, so junior staff miss out on essential skills in cnc machining, hydraulic cylinder repair etc – which means that the end users don’t always get the best service.

And it is becoming harder for companies to both attract and retain staff because all the other businesses are using whatever tactics they can to find the best workers, eg increases in pay, additional financial incentives and benefits and flexible working hours.  This is very evident in the arena of welding services and cnc machining, where skilled operators are in extremely high demand.

EPM, an established machine shop in Perth says their solution is to invest in their employees, empower them through developing and nurturing positive attitudes and pride and help them become the best they can be – so it’s a win-win situation for everyone.