Bay of Plenty Business News June/July 2018

Planning for workforce development
One of the key issues facing Bay employers is how they will meet
the workforce demands created not only by the expected growth
in booming horticultural sectors such as kiwifruit, but also for
major new infrastructure developments.
John Galbraith, the
chairman of the Bay of
Connections Freight
Logistics Action Group
(FLAG) pointed to some of
the challenges in the Eastern
Bay of Plenty.
“There’s been significant
development by economic
development agencies, Toi
Ohomai and others in drawing
up workforce development
plans in Opotiki and Kawerau
to match emerging demands
from growth industries there,”
said Galbraith.
“We’ve been aware for
some years now that workforce
demands would be a really big
part in the success of some of
the big projects in places like
Opotiki aquaculture and the
new mills in Kawerau.”
Galbraith said the workforce
development plans
looked at matching up expected
work and potential employees,
ideally locally.
“The link is the training and
pathways,” he said.
“In some cases there is a
simple education pathway. In
others there are [social] challenges,
with issues of drugs,
lack of driver licensings etc,
which is quite an important
sub set of the workforce plan.”
Galbraith said in his experience
great work was being
done in the regions in drawing
on local employees who might
have otherwise been written
off, and who had become very
successful operators.
“I don’t think we’ll ever
get a 100 percent match up
between local needs and suitable
local workers [in some of
these areas], but at any level,
we have enough evidence that
it is absolutely achievable.”
We’ve been aware
for some years
now that workforce
demands would be
a really big part in
the success of some
of the big projects in
places like Opotiki
aquaculture and
the new mills in
Kawerau.
– John Galbraith
FLAG is also working
closely with Toi Ohomai on
such fundamental issues as
ensuring school leavers get
driver’s licences and can
access training pathways to
heavy vehicle work.
Toi Ohomai chief executive
Leon Fourie cited the
example of the Road Transport
Cadetship programme being
rolled out in semester 2.
“This provides a 15 month
training programme from
which students will exit with
truck driving qualifications,
driver licences including forklift
and Class 3, 4 and 5 licences,
health and safety qualifications
and computing skills,”
he said.
“These graduates will be
able to move into management
roles in the transport industry
or further develop their skills
in specialist distribution.”
Kiwifruit Growers Inc. NZ
has also been working closely
with Toi Ohomai and the
Primary ITO to create a more
sustainable workforce.
KGI chief executive Nikki
Johnson said training wasn’t as
much of an issue for seasonal
workers, though the organisation
was working to get more
flexibility in the education
system to recognise micro credentials
based largely on workplace
experience.
“On the permanent employee
side, we’re just completing
an industry analysis, so we
understand better what jobs
we’ll have available over the
next 10 years, how many people
will leave the industry, how
many people we need to bring
on, and what kind of training
we need in place to do that,”
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BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS June/July 2018 5
John Galbraith/Photo/Supplied.
Nikki Johnson, Photo/Supplied.
assumption on the basis you
can’t grow without qualified
people. All of New Zealand’s
horticultural industries need
new people.”
– By DAVID PORTER
Ready to work aspirations
said Johnson.
of our education providers are
KGI had a long relationship
with tertiary providers and needs in the future.
providing us what the industry
training organisations, she said. “We don’t have any data to
“But we now have more of suggest we risk facing a shortfall,
but that would be a logical
a focus on making sure that all
We do
Toi Ohomai has developed a graduate
profile that sets out its aims for graduates
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tions and feedback and be good team players. range of people.
They will be effective problem solvers and
business
those from technician and professional programmes
will be able to operate effectively professional practice. They will demonstrate
• Positive – Valued for their ethical and
and independently.
initiative and respond positively to change.
• Adaptable - With the skills to transfer • Prepared for further learning – Theywill
their knowledge and skills to different workplace
contexts and be able to work regionally, and be able to personalise their learning from
have the skills to engage lifelong learning
nationally and internationally.
experience and others.
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Because
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To find out how 2degrees can help
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