Our future workforce

Technological futures – Shaping the digital skills of the future workforce

Actions

• The RSLG supports urgent and critical action required to ensure the minimum sustainable workforce pipeline meets regional demand for digital skills and advanced digital roles (including software engineers).
• The RSLG supports connections with industry partners, including Microsoft, Facebook, Meta, Google, Amazon and IBM along with tertiary education providers to mitigate equity and access gaps for digital skills. This will ensure access and timing of funds are aligned with industry partners’ investment.
• The RSLG promotes the creation of a space for collaboration with industry. This space will promote digital skills for Māori by Māori and align digital skills training with business needs.
• The RSLG supports the development of career pathways for Māori by Māori through the delivery of micro-credentials in digital skills for Māori students under 30 (a high proportion of the Māori population in Tāmaki Makaurau).

Key milestones

• RLSG has worked Tech Tāmaki Makaurau (TTM) to support its vision is for Auckland to be a global epicentre for tech innovation technology and talent. TTM purpose will be creating a tech ecosystem that attracts home grown and international workforce, developing a tech industry that delivers sustainable and equitable opportunities, and growing Tāmaki Makaurau as a globally connected and collaborative tech city.
• RSLG has supported Te Au Hangarau to commission research to understand what factors influence participation of and success of Māori tech graduates in NZ tech industry. The aims of the research are to understand the factors influencing greater participation and success of Māori graduates in the tech industry and to develop qualitative research (interviews) to hear/share the experiences of Māori in higher education and employment within the tech sector. Te Au Hangarau was commissioned by Tataki AU and Spark Foundation in conjunction with Te Matarau Maori Tech Association, AATA Solutions and Koru Digital Agency in collaboration with Puhoro STEMM Academy.
• RLSG has supported MAKE NZ, Hanga-Aro-Rau and The Learning Wave are working with industry stakeholders to explore micro-credentials smoothing the pathway for digital skills in Manufacturing targeted at up-skilling team leaders to support increasing digitalisation of processes.

Anticipated outcomes

• To support the region’s future workforce is digitally skilled and especially those communities in the South and West of Auckland who have not benefitted from gains in technology and growth within the region.
• To ensure Auckland’s workforce especially the youth, Māori and pacific workers are prepared in an equitable manner to access for digital workforce and skills opportunities that will emerge in the Auckland region.
• To retain and develop the digital skills talent in the region to support the industry’s capability in Auckland.

A future-ready resilient workforce

Digital skills actions

• The RSLG supports mobilisation for the development of initiatives and or programmes to ensure Tāmaki Makaurau is prepared to support its workforce to respond to shocks (economic and others) especially in terms of developing future ready and future proof workforce, particularly women and young people.
• The RSLG advocates for the mental health and wellbeing of people to support an agile workforce ready to respond to changing economic and labour market circumstances, while recognising that Tāmaki Makaurau is the border city to Aotearoa New Zealand and its workforce and businesses are at the forefront of economic shocks and workforce disruption.
• The RSLG encourages SME activation mentoring and support for rangatahi to ensure resilience and recognises the critical function of the region’s social services organisations and volunteers in supporting the region’s resilience, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The RSLG endorses programmes that support workers with opportunities to upskill through job displacement, including support to just transitions and potential job losses in the future in those sectors impacted by economic and technology changes.

Key milestones

• RSLG has been in regular discussions with MSD regarding workforce impacts due to the current recessionary headwinds in the region (economic shock) as well as the impact of floods. MSD team shared that given the trend from past years for Auckland, middle-level management is usually the one that is impacted earliest and most during economic shocks and the RSLG have connected these teams with the resources available the region to support workforce resilience.
• RSLG has shared resource available from Auckland Unlimited for businesses and workforce being impacted by economic shocks and climate related events.
• RSLG has connected businesses and key stakeholders with the First Steps - To support health and wellbeing First Steps is as a space to find resources, video content, news and articles; as well as connecting you with confidential support from approved professional wellbeing providers, to help businesses make sense of challenging situations.
• RSLG has supported and collaborated with the Business Support Helpline as part of the recovery efforts with by Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) for business owners who have been affected by the severe weather conditions. Access specific advice and information for businesses covering issues such as staff leave, paying employees, insurance and more.

Anticipate outcomes

• The RSLG aims to work together with MSD, EMA, First Step and other key stakeholders to build workforce resilience that supports mobilisation for the development of initiatives to help the workforce respond to current economic shocks (recession) and climate shocks (floods and cyclones).
• RSLG aims to support the sectors impacted to develop a future-ready and future-proof workforce during such economic shocks
• To identify which skills and in what industries can people transfer into using their existing skills to support short and long-term employment opportunities and workforce needs.
• How the RSLG can support workers with opportunities to upskill through job displacement, including just transitions and potential job losses in sectors forecast to be impacted by these economic shocks by connecting them to opportunities and resources across the region.

Green skills and jobs actions

• The RSLG supports the workforce to identify the critical green skills required for Tāmaki Makaurau to develop a sustainable and circular economy model supported by its workforce. It will also work with The Southern Initiative to support workforce capability for the circular economy for Tāmaki Makaurau in South and West Auckland, especially for the Māori and Pacific workforce.
• The RSLG supports a large-scale endeavour like the Eco Park to create green economy workforce opportunities in South Auckland, especially for the Māori and Pacific workforce.
• The RSLG advocates working with industry to support workforce upskilling for green skills and prepare the workforce for the green transition owing to climate change impacts.
• The RSLG promotes a worker-enabling and responsive public transport system where workers across Tāmaki Makaurau can reach their workplace efficiencies using public transport, especially reaching those areas of concentrated high employment.

Key milestones

• The RSLG is working closely with Tātaki Auckland Unlimited and Climate Connect Aotearoa to understand climate–related risks and opportunities (R&O) helps us to prepare the workforce for the transition. Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan that is being supported by Tātaki Auckland Unlimited aims to reduce GHG emissions by 50% by 2030 & reach net zero by 2050 and adapt to climate change. The RSLG is working together with Tātaki Auckland Unlimited to better understand the need to embed equity, te ao Māori, and a strong rangatahi voice in the plan and how we can support workforce enablement for this work.
• Climate change poses a reputational risk if the skills required to transition, or prosper from the transition, are not present in the labour market and the RSLG is working closely with Climate Connect Aotearoa, to better understand how we can identify the changes required for the workforce to respond to climate change, identify the skills associated with these changes, prepare the workforce to adapt to these changes and attract appropriately skilled workers from outside of Auckland to our region.

Anticipated outcomes

• To enable the region to identify the critical green skills required for Tāmaki Makaurau to develop a sustainable and circular economy model supported by its workforce through initiatives such as Climate Connect Aotearoa.
• To support workforce upskilling for green skills in collaboration with industry and prepare the workforce for the green transition owing to climate change impacts.
• To ensure successful delivery of climate change and workforce programmes in south and west Auckland.

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