northland chamber

We’re at War…the global war for Talent & Skills…….


If New Zealand wants to remain competitive in a global marketplace where the majority of workers earn a fraction of the salaries paid here, we must have the most competent and innovative workforce possible. Yet New Zealand has one of the worst records for skill shortages – we are near the top of the OECD skill shortages list and the gap is widening. We now recognise that our widening skills gap is one of the major barriers to our growth as a competitive nation. The skills gap has resulted from a shift in our economy. The number of jobs for the unskilled has declined steadily over the past several decades and we are seeing an increase in semi-skilled jobs. In the next ten years, there will be a huge growth in skilled jobs as more semi-skilled jobs are automated. Impacting on the problem is the rapid development of technology, the increase in technology based jobs and the development of new industries based on technology advances. Add to this, the expected change in demographics in the years ahead as the number of people in the workforce declines relative to those above the traditional retiring age, and it is obvious that we must find a way to prepare all our population, including those with disabilities and limited English proficiency, to become contributing members of the work force.We cannot afford to delay our response to the problem, since as we seek to be more productive as a nation we will have to concentrate even more on the skills of our workers. We need to focus on the issue from many angles, both regionally and nationally, both short and long term, from an education and an industry perspective, and from the perspective of individual employers and employees.The government is currently consulting on one part of the solution. They have released a discussion paper outlining possible goals and priorities for New Zealand's tertiary education system. The feedback from this consultation will be used to develop the next Tertiary Education Strategy (2007-2012).

We agree that the goals of educational success for all New Zealanders through lifelong learning; creating and applying knowledge to drive innovation; and strong connections between tertiary education organizations and their communities, will help us achieve the economic transformation to a high income, knowledge based economy.However the Chamber believes that a national tertiary education strategy needs to be underpinned by a regional tertiary education strategy. This would identify what the regional needs are regarding short and long term skill gaps, and provide a way to align regional requirements with national priorities and direction. The strategy would also outline what areas of research are required and suited to the region having regard to its social, economic and environmental strengths. We need to identify the unmet needs and opportunities for growth of tertiary provision in partnership with industry and the community. This can only be achieved through an effective working partnership of government, tertiary providers, economic development agencies and local government. The Chamber is part of an intersectoral forum known as the ‘Northland Skills Forum’ which is seeking to deliver solutions to some of these skills problems.However, tertiary education is only one part of the ultimate solution to our burgeoning skills gap.

We are heartened to see our regional economic development agency become involved in attracting overseas skills with groups such as the Whangarei Economic Development Group. Other initiatives include importing skills through marketing tools such as http://www.newkiwis.co.nz/ , a Chamber of commerce initiative designed to match up prospective, new kiwis to gainful employment. We also have among our members - companies such as the bay of islands immigration consultancy and direction recruitment both who are proactive in the business of bringing skilled people to our region.

The Northland Chamber of Commerce is the networking, education, advocacy and marketing group for Northland business, and is part of a nationwide network of 30 and a world-wide movement of 21,000 chambers. Subscription to the free fortnightly chamber e-news can be arranged on info@northchamber.co.nz. Enquiries to 09-4384771 or www.northchamber.co.nz, www.kaiparachamber.co.nz and www.farnorthchamber.co.nz

You can have a say on this by going to the Northland Chamber of Commerce Feedback website on www.northchamber.blogspot.com