Waikato local insights report: June 2023
Published: 1 Aug 2023An overview of the current labour market in the Waikato region from the members of the Waikato Regional Skills Leadership Group (RSLG).
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Waikato local insights report for June 2023 – Focus on Construction and Infrastructure.
You are welcome to quote from any report below – please attribute the Waikato Regional Skills Leadership Group, an independent advisory group on regional skills and workforce development.
An overview of the current labour market in the Waikato region from the members of the Waikato Regional Skills Leadership Group (RSLG).
PDF, 319KB, 1 page
There is a need to shift towards an apprenticeship type model for truck driver training in the Commercial Road Transport sector. One of the Waikato RWP’s initial focus areas was on supporting the ‘Road to Success’ programme to build a pipeline of truck drivers in the region. This was guided by the Waikato & Bay of Plenty Freight Action Plan however, our efforts have since expanded through close engagement with industry. In partnership with Te Waka and Hanga Aro Rau the RSLG is seeking to gain a deeper understanding of talent attraction, retention and upskilling opportunities and barriers in the Commercial Road Transport sector. The RSLG (led by Te Waka) has engaged with industry and relevant WDCs, and identified that a shift towards an apprenticeship-type model for truck driver training needs will be explored in detail.
Truck driver shortages remain a key challenge for the Commercial Road Transport sector in the Waikato, according to the Waikato and Bay of Plenty Freight Action Plan 2022. Thirty seven percent of industry operators reported a current shortage of truck drivers, and within the next five years it is expected that approximately twenty percent of existing truck drivers will retire or leave the sector. While changes to immigration settings have gone some way to ease the labour shortage pressures, the ageing workforce means focus and investment in building the local talent pipeline is critical.
Waikato Regional Workforce Plan
2022 data shows that as 90% of the freight task in Aotearoa New Zealand is moved by trucks, the average age of a truck driver is 54 with a significant number aged 60 to 70 plus years old, and 90 percent of them are male. Despite many great industry initiatives, we are faced with an aging workforce, that is causing concerns for the industry as it tries to attract younger drivers.
Source: NZTrucking/Infometrics
There are 23 approved course providers in the Waikato region that help meet the training requirements of obtaining Class 4 and 5 licencing. Ia Ara Aotearoa | Transporting New Zealand has collaborated with various parties to develop a programme called Te ara ki Tua - Road to Success. The programme connects potential truck drivers and employers to enable trainees to complete a 12-month training course with a mixture of online and paid on the job training. Launched in April 2021, the initiative relies on employers getting involved and taking on new trainees.
Source: NZTA / Road Transport Forum NZ
This needs to be explored in detail to garner feasibility of proposed approaches to attract and retain workers, around:
The top four areas hindering growth in the Commercial Road and Transport sector in relation to attraction, retention and upskilling workers are:
Insights from this report are feeding into related focus areas in Freight and Logistics (and actions that sit under these) in the Waikato Regional Workforce Plan, such as:
Waikato Regional Workforce Plan
The next round of TEC advice due in November 2023.
Prepared by the regionally led Waikato Regional Skills Leadership Group.
For further information, please contact: waikatorslg@mbie.govt.nz
© Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
https://www.mbie.govt.nz/business-and-employment/employment-and-skills/regional-skills-leadership-groups/waikato/local-insights-report/
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