A Wanganui business leader believes he has an answer to New Zealand's skill shortages – upskill those already on the staff.
Haig Elgar, general manager at engineering company Ali Arc Industries - one of the city's longest-running and most successful companies - says giving his employees the opportunity to gain more qualifications is an important factor in helping the bottom line.
"It sounds corny, but it's really all about investing in our community," he says. "If ultimately, one of my team leave and moves up the road to another job, I know they'll go as good workers, good sports, better partners. Without good people, the business is going nowhere; the town is going nowhere."
While he takes on an apprentice every year, his main focus is on putting selected groups of his workers through nine-months of study for the New Zealand Manufacturing Certificate (level two), a course which is run with the assistance of New Zealand work-based training organisation Competenz.
With these qualifications Elgar is confident the products his team manufacture for export globally are of the highest quality. Currently, he has six staff on the course ranging in age from 18 to 44. "I do this for my general workers because I believe we have an obligation as engineers to train competent people," he says. "It's my obligation to give back to the industry, and if every engineering business did this, we wouldn't have the skill shortages we have now.
"My team here are very skilled at what they do, and when they achieve the certificate, they are incredibly proud. It's like they go 'wow I've done something'."
Elgar says there is a simple way to see how training impacts his bottom line. "How do you measure loyalty? Well, at five o'clock on a Friday if I ask them to do something, they'll do it because we've given something to them - that's how.
"It helps make our business more financially viable," he says. "People stay with us longer (Ali Arc's retention rate is 8.1 years), they take pride in their work and develop good traits like having respect for their tools. It's how we do things here."
New Zealand is suffering from severe skills shortages. In reports published in Stuff earlier this year Wellington recruitment executive, Peter Crestani estimated the country is short by tens of thousands of workers, the worst he has seen in 20 years in the industry.
Competenz general manager, Toni Christie, says the best thing employers can do is invest in training talented staff and school leavers to become capable and skilled in their businesses.
"We've helped over 1500 companies and 12,000 learners in 37 industries around New Zealand each year by partnering with employers, apprentices, schools, and industry associations." she says.
Competenz recently transferred to Te Pūkenga, the organisation established as a result of a merger of the 16 Institutes of Technology, Polytechnics and Industry Training Organisations in New Zealand.
Christie says Te Pūkenga is transforming how on-the-job training will be delivered. By creating a network of on-the-job, on-campus and online learning opportunities, learners have more choice and flexibility in what, where and how they learn. For employers this will translate into better pathways to upskill their staff with valuable qualifications.
She says there is significant funding and support for on-the-job training that employers and employees should make use of to bridge the skills gap in New Zealand.
Competenz helps you train for the skills you need. To get started visit https://www.competenz.org.nz/