The government has this week announced wage subsidies, as part of its post-Covid-19 National Economic Recovery Plan, greeted as a great initiative by business, but is it really good news for trucking? The Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy is designed to support businesses and Group Training Organisations to take on new apprentices and trainees.
The problem is the trucking industry doesn’t have a really effective apprenticeship system able to bring in and train the numbers needed to sustain our industry
Through the subsidy, any business or Group Training Organisation that engages an Australian Apprentice between 5 October 2020 and 30 September 2021 should be eligible for a subsidy of 50 per cent of wages paid to a new or recommencing apprentice or trainee for a 12-month period. There is no cap on the number of eligible trainees/apprentices.
However, trucking struggles to pull in enough interested young people at the best of times. On top of that, there is no national training strategy in the industry, just a patchwork of individual schemes which work for some, but not for everyone.
Compounding the problem is other competing industries, which will also have these wage subsidies available, and they already have efficient national apprenticeship structures to cope with and attract an influx stimulated by these new subsidies.
It is too late now, but hopefully the powers that be will recognise that the trucking industry is extremely vital to the well-being of the Australian economy, but also that it is in dire need of a viable training structure capable of churning out the number and quality of new entrants to the industry which will be needed in the years to come.
Meanwhile, other industries, one being the heavy vehicle manufacturing and maintenance industry, do have apprenticeship schemes fit for purpose and ready to go. They are going to benefit well from this initiative.
So our workshops can expect fresh blood and an increase in the flow of trained youngsters into the industry, but can our trucking operators expect to benefit from this stimulus?
The fact of the matter this industry struggles with a number of issues. We are not very attractive to the latest generation of kids coming out of the schooling system. We are regarded as a low status industry by many parents of school leavers.
There is also the culture issue, there are many women who would probably have a go in trucking, but find it too hard. This week saw International Women’s Day, but ask any female in our work force and they will tell you how determined they needed to be to get into the industry.
Our working practices are also less than attractive to many people. Trying to get someone to take up a career where they are going to be expected to sleep in a small metal box, by the side of a loud busy road, with no facilities. Add in harassment on the road, the risk of accidents and poor treatment at loading and unloading sites and you have the perfect recipe to be unable to get the best from the National Economic Recovery Plan.
