Industry insights on skills needs
The Forest and Wood Products IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast identified the following generic skills as top priority for the industry:
- Technology and use application skills
- Environmental and sustainability skills
- Language, literacy and numeracy skills.
Anticipating future skills needs is crucial to prepare for and meet new demands for forest sustainability and timber product markets in Australia. Leading indicators of current and future skills needs in the sector include:
- Advancements of processing initiatives within manufacturing fields, including bioenergy, biochemicals, artificial intelligence, new engineered wood products and new building systems impacting the industry skills and workforce profiles
- Changes to the National Construction Code allowing for timber manufactured products to be used in high rise buildings up to 25 metres in height, creating cross sector relationships with commercial construction and new skill considerations
- Future changes in workplace and job design which are driven by innovation at the business and/or industry level as a result of technological advancements, including drones, scanners, laser scanners, cutters and finishing systems, plant genomes, block-chain applications and big data analytics.
The above Skills Forecast reports specific skills shortages which relate to the occupations of Specialist Engineers, Scientists and Mechanics, and Mobile and Fixed-Plant Operators. A need has also been indicated for workers with high-level financial, middle management and information and communication technology (ICT) skills. Recruiting skilled managers and professional staff, transport workers, finance managers and heavy machinery operators is also problematic for many regional businesses.
The Forest and Wood Products IRC's 2020 Skills Forecast highlights key issues affecting the industry:
- Climate change is driving a push for planting more trees, as well as less carbon intensive construction methods, and novel uses of biomass for energy and other purposes
- Bushfires, and the increased risk of bushfires, are impacting the industry in both terms of the resources available to the industry and new training challenges posed
- Ensuring workplaces are as safe as possible, particularly in remote areas
- The ongoing challenge of accessing training in thin, regionally dispersed, markets
- Employers throughout the country continue to be concerned about the need for career pathways into and within the industry.
The impact of the 2019–20 bushfire season on native and plantation timbers was far greater than anticipated and will have a significant impact on the industry now and into the future, particularly in New South Wales, Victoria and on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Maximising salvage operations was a priority in the immediate aftermath of the fires. In the short term, demand for harvesting and haulage of plantation softwoods exceeded the capacity of the industry, and sawmills put on extra shifts to process salvaged wood. In the longer term, re-establishing plantations will be a major focus. The environmental constraints on re-establishing plantations require a different skill set than the work associated with establishing plantations in areas unaffected by fire.
Further, from a skills and workforce perspective, forest workers are increasingly being deployed during the bushfire season to perform roles that are distinct from their roles as forestry operations contractors and managers. Working in bushfire management, mitigation and firefighting has been described by the industry as being as much a core part of work as tree harvest operations or planting. Forest workers are involved in firefighting activities, including:
- Defending resource and forestry assets
- Salvage operations after the fire has passed
- Fire suppression efforts in land use such as farms and national parks
- Make-safe operations and road clearing
- Re-establishing plantations.
Forestry operators need to be effectively trained and ready to respond and assist but it is unclear whether all current employees have the skills to perform all these roles.
The use of robotics is increasing for materials handling, processing and surfacing. Investments in research and technology show the pipeline of future skills needs. The acquisition of these skills across the workforce has begun and will gradually transform the way work is performed in the Forest and Wood Products industry.
The Forestry sector is becoming safer, more environmentally sustainable and more productive thanks to the use of new technologies such as digital maps, forest operation plans, and new harvesting systems. Many job roles have adapted to incorporate the technical and digital skills required to use a range of new technologies. At the same time, skills and safety standards have developed in other areas of timber harvesting, including those that use more traditional technologies such as chainsaws. The Forest Management and Harvesting Industry Reference Committee's New Timber Harvesting Technologies Project was created in response to the need to capture these important skills in nationally endorsed skills standards, to support the timber harvesting industry as it moves towards better ways of meeting the high demand for sustainably grown timber in Australia.
As a result of consultation throughout this project, the skills needed to perform harvesting activities using new technologies were captured in five new units of competency. The project also reviewed and updated 25 units across the forest harvesting sector, so that they are up to date with current work practices, safety standards and equipment. They also reflect the skills required by harvesting machine operators who are involved in winch assisted harvesting and forestry site preparation on steep slopes. The skills needed to use chainsaws within a tree when conducting tree trimming or dismantling work are defined. The case for endorsement was approved by the AISC in August 2020.
The Forest and Wood Products IRC's 2021 Skills Forecast reminds us that the Forest and Wood Products industry has been operating for the last two years in the most complex and challenging environments experienced in memory. There has been an increase in local demand, and plans remain in place for substantial industry investment, particularly in Northern Australia. While trying to support growth, industry has also been dealing with some of the biggest challenges ever faced and have been under pressure to solve these problems rapidly to meet public demand and national interest. Devastating bushfires in major production areas were followed by the impacts of COVID-19, which built on existing challenges from the changeable and uncertain policy conditions surrounding the environmental restrictions and credentials of operators working with this natural and renewable resource.
The Forest Management and Harvesting Industry Reference Committee is overseeing the Entry Level Forestry Skills Project. New entrants to the Forestry sector are needed to keep up with demand for forest products and deliver on government commitments to plant more trees. Local and global markets continue to seek out a range of products, from new wood-fibre based plastic alternatives to the softwood used to build new homes. Meeting this demand in a sustainable way is a key focus of industry and governments, with the Australian Federal Government committed to planting a billion trees over the next decade, in addition to the 70 million trees already planted each year. It is important that Regional Forestry Hubs have access to a skilled workforce, so that they can continue to meet product demand while delivering on sustainability targets. Consultations have taken place to update entry level qualifications and skills standards for the Forestry sector. As a result, industry will soon have access to updated national entry level qualifications that better support learners' career paths and reflect practical skills.
The Committee is also overseeing the High-Level Forestry Skills Project. Skilled management, supervision and planning are integral skills for growing sustainable forests for timber, wood and fibre products. High level expertise is required for maintaining safe work practices, improving forest health and optimising forest management practices. As industry adopts new technologies and work practices, updated skills are also required for working with data and the latest equipment. While there is high demand for workers with the skills to manage, supervise and plan forestry operations, there is a shortage of people qualified and available to perform the work. It is important that the Diploma of Forest and Forest Products and Certificate IV in Forest Operations which support high level forestry skills are kept up to date, so that industry can access the skills it needs to lead it into the future. This project is focused on ensuring that forest operations supervisors, forest contractor business managers and early career foresters will soon have access to updated, industry-developed, practically focused and flexibly structured qualifications.
Performing forestry work in remote conditions requires skills to promote individual safety as well as the safety of the team. The ability to maintain concentration over long periods of time and operate heavy machinery in conditions that can be unpredictable is crucial. Skills are also required to respond to emergency situations if they occur. All members of small forestry teams require expertise in mental health awareness and first aid, to promote the wellbeing of themselves and their peers. Leadership skills are essential to reinforce safe practices and promote and shape a safety culture in the workforce. As a result of the contributions made to the Remote Forestry Operations Project, the forest industry will soon have access to national skills standards that will help foster a safety culture and practices among workers in remote forest operations. The units describe the skills and knowledge required to apply situational awareness and a safety mindset while working in team situations or alone, in isolation or out of line of sight.
The fourth current Committee project is the Responding and Assisting in Bushfires Project which came about after the bushfires of 2019–20 brought attention to how forestry operators, arborists and other service providers can support the prevention and clean-up of bushfires. The events also highlighted the need for updated national skills standards to support this work. Industry feedback indicated that a range of skill gaps emerged in recent bushfires, particularly in relation to effective communication and awareness of hazards associated with recovery activities. The Federal Government's Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements also highlighted the importance of skills in mechanical thinning and its potential to reduce the intensity and rate of spread of a bushfire. Experts in the field are being consulted to assess the skills gaps among workers who assist in bushfire recovery operations and to propose training package solutions. Broad stakeholder consultation is scheduled to commence in March 2022.
In New South Wales the Legislative Council Portfolio Committee No. 4 – Regional NSW, Water and Agriculture has commenced an Inquiry Into the Long Term Sustainability and Future of the Timber and Forest Products Industry. The Committee will inquire into and report on the long term sustainability and future of the timber and forest products industry and the role of the Forestry Corporation and other government agencies in supporting the industry. There are 229 written submissions on the Inquiry website, which provide a range of detailed perspectives on the terms of reference. There is currently no release date for the Committee's report.
The objective of the Culture, Training and Skills Assessment Report is to assess how factors relating to industry culture, skills and training impact the current state, opportunities and barriers to expansion within the forest growing and forest processing sectors in Tasmania. The study involved extensive analysis of published and unpublished literature, and stakeholder consultation through an online survey and interviews with people from key parts of the sector. The analysis found those leading Tasmania's forest sector aspire for it to be a high-quality, high-technology industry employing more highly skilled workers. This suggests that the sector can build on Tasmania's strong positive association with forests and the timber industry, and the global view of timber as a renewable, environmentally friendly and low-carbon product, to attract investment capital and a new generation of more highly qualified workers. A strong and vibrant forest management and forest products sector can contribute towards creating more resilient and secure employment opportunities for communities across Tasmania while contributing towards Australia's greenhouse gas reduction and environmental sustainability goals.
The Tasmanian Forest Industry Workforce Development and Implementation Plan (2021 to 2025) outlines strategic workforce development goals, required outcomes and targeted actions to attract, train and retain people with the skills necessary to capitalise on Tasmania's opportunity to be a world leader in producing and manufacturing sustainable and innovative wood and fibre products. The four goals are:
- Career pathways mapped and supported – career pathways with multiple entry and exit points are documented and promoted from school age to mature age; they are used by all relevant stakeholders.
- Relevant education and training available and used – engagement with formal and informal education and training providers to map out how to increase the knowledge, skills and qualifications of new and existing employees and employers, via relevant education and training services and take action.
- Focus on employees and workplace diversity – employers have the skills to manage a diverse workforce; they are looking after employees so that people from diverse backgrounds can flourish in the workplace and skilled employees are retained. Workplaces are safe and supportive.
- Effective promotion, attraction and retainment – attracting people with the 'right soft and/or hard skills'; attracting people from diverse backgrounds (cultural background, gender, age, level of education) including from related sectors, and especially younger people; promoting a sustainable industry that looks after the social, environmental, and economic well-being of its people and communities.
Growing Our Low-Carbon Future: Time for Timber states that the construction and built environment sector is responsible for approximately 40% of global energy related CO2 emissions. A significant percentage of this comes from the extraction, processing and energy-intensive manufacturing of building products. To achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050, construction must rapidly decarbonise whilst still meeting the needs of a growing urban population, the increasing demand for new buildings and the urgent requirement to renovate existing buildings. Wood is the only sustainable structural material that grows worldwide which can enable a substantial decarbonisation of the built environment based on existing business models and proven technology. Wood is a naturally renewable material which:
- Sequesters carbon in forests as trees grow
- Stores carbon in harvested wood products
- Substitutes for carbon intensive materials such as steel, concrete and plastics
- Drives sustainable forest management leading to greater growth
- Contributes to a circular economy as wood products can be reused, recycled and recovered for low-carbon energy at end-of-life.
Policy recommendations include: increasing training to upskill workers and create new jobs to boost the development of a sustainable and circular bioeconomy; developing new areas such as modern renovation and prefabrication which require different skillsets and knowledge bases; enhancing training and education to develop new skills in nature-based materials; and improving traditional manufacturing in wood industries.
