Editorial

Investing in skills

In August, the Government announced that skills shortages have fallen sharply over the past 18 months. The difficulty of finding skilled staff, it seems, is now at its lowest level since 1999.

“Whew!” you might say, but the reality is that skill shortages remain a major issue in the New Zealand economy. The Department of Labour’s Skills in the Labour Market report notes that, despite labour force participation being at an all-time high, 25 percent of firms are still having difficulty finding suitably skilled employees.

The good news, according to the report, is that for the 14 trades surveyed, considerable progress has been made to rectify the problem, particularly with regards to training. It notes that enrolments in qualifications for these trades have doubled from 2001 to 2005 and that this increased participation is translating into “greater numbers of qualification achievements at a high level”.

I got to see what this is all about for myself recently when I visited O-I New Zealand to find out about the company’s approach to workplace learning. Training is an integral part of the glass manufacturing plant’s strategy these days, with a minimum of 24 hours a year built into each employee’s contract.

While many of the production staff started out with basic literacy and numeracy training at O-I’s Milestone Learning Centre, a growing number have moved on to studying formal NZQA accredited qualifications in glassworking.

With this learning under their belts, more and more staff have been able to put their hands up for promotion. This can only be a huge benefit to both individual employees and the company.

When Employment minister David Benson-Pope released the Skills in the Labour Market report, he described the shrinking skills gap as an absolute endorsement of programmes like Industry Training, Gateway, Modern Apprenticeships and Industry Partnership.

His comments are backed by a recent evaluation of the Modern Apprenticeship Programme which found 95 percent of employers and employees would definitely or probably recommend it.

This is great news—after all, New Zealand’s future depends on the development of a high-skill workforce. Let’s just hope the warm fuzzies continue to be translated into companies putting their money where their mouth is and, like O-I and many others, investing the time, effort and funds needed to support training.

Lyndsey Swan
Editor

Contents

Glass act
Productivity is up at O-I New Zealand’s Auckland glass manufacturing plant, something HR manager Bruce Woodcock attributes to the company’s investment in training. Lyndsey Swan reports.

E-ffective learning
Truly effective e-learning uses the advantages that technology can offer to engage learners and ensure that learning is an enjoyable experience, says Glenn Bull. He takes a look at what’s happening on the e-learning scene.

Horses for courses
There is a huge array of business education options available these days—with 10 MBA programmes alone in New Zealand. Miriam Bell investigates a range of the current business education offerings for Employment Today readers.

Industry training—upskilling the workforce
As New Zealand’s population ages and becomes more ethnically diverse, industry training organisations have an increasingly important role to play in helping businesses adapt and upskill their workers. Darel Hall considers the challenges they face and how they can best meet the needs of industry.

Breaking the bond
Training bonds are a way of safeguarding your investment in employees. Karen Spackman looks at two recent cases which illustrate this, however she also points out there are potential pitfalls to watch out for.

Is e-learning the way to go?
Does your organisation need e-learning? While it’s an effective way of delivering the knowledge and skills that are critical in today’s workplace, it’s important to understand how it will work and if it’s the best fit for you, says Iain McCormick.

The da Vinci code
Much is written about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children, but what of its effects in the workplace? Staff with ADHD can be a challenge to manage, says Deb Gilbertson, but successfully unleashing their creativity and drive can give an organisation a competitive edge.

Workplace dilemmas
Communication is the key when dealing with long-term poor performers and with staff who are feeling jaded and cynical about their work. Karen Boyte looks at how to get to the bottom of what’s happening with such employees and outlines ways to address these difficult challenges.

Leadership
Management and leadership are the two ends of the performance continuum, says Winston Pond. He examines the attributes of an effective leader and explains what is needed to make the shift from being a manager to a leader.

Advance Australia fair?
It’s the most radical change ever to industrial relations and employment regulation in Australia, say Ken Brotherson and Aaron Dearden. They explain some of the key components of the new Work Choices legislation and say those doing business in Australia should be mindful of the changing workplace landscape.

Employment laws necessary
Ross Wilson welcomes the protection that employment law changes in the last decade have brought and says Wayne Mapp’s 90-day bill could change this. He replies to Bill Hodge’s article in the last issue of Employment Today.

Workplace wellness
Targeted wellness programmes can make a real difference in the workplace, according to HR professionals. A strong theme in a recent survey was the need for these programmes to be proactive and preventative, says Doris Cuthell.

Recruitment
Are your exit interviews simple tick-the-box exercises or genuine learning experiences? For Jane Kennelly, a well-conducted interview is an opportunity to pick up nothing less than pearls of wisdom.

Case in point
Employees who contribute to their own dismissals have recently been held to account by the Employment Relations Authority. Clayton Kimpton and Laura Driscoll examine two cases that resulted in a 100 percent reduction in remedies.

Strategic HR
Compliance is often viewed as a negative, but, say Jenny Gibbs and Tania Gough, it should be re-positioned as a positive if an organisation’s policies and processes are to provide a framework for the future.

Learning & development
Nico Jansen explains how a new training framework is helping to improve the competencies and performance of Griffins Foods’ manufacturing employees.

Public sector
Paul Robertson looks at a recent case where poor NCEA record keeping led to the dismissal of a woodworking teacher. In not carrying out assessments fairly and accurately, the ERA found his actions constituted serious misconduct.