The Australian construction industry is currently experiencing a critical skills shortage, driven by the resources-led boom.

 

From steel fixers, concreters, plant operators, engineers, project managers and industry executives – the entire spectrum of activity that is involved with delivering constructed products – this drastic shortage of skills is impacting on the Australian construction industry's ability to deliver the infrastructure that will underpin the future growth of this country and maintain our quality of life.

 

Bill Wild, Chief Operating Officer of Leighton Holdings and former Managing Director of John Holland Group, met recently with the Vice-Chancellor of QUT, Professor Peter Coaldrake, and I, to look at ways of addressing this shortage.

 

During our meeting, there was consensus that research, education and training are a key part of the solution to this crisis. Universities have a major role to play in this process through the training of architects, engineers and managers by ensuring their training programs are meeting industry's needs in today's market.

Our goal must be for the best and brightest of our students, those who may otherwise plan for careers in law, medicine or business, to consider, as their first choice, a career in the Australian construction industry.

 

We need to recognise the interest Generation Y has for environmental and social issues, such as climate change and corporate social responsibility. Our industry needs to understand generational change, to ensure that we are engaging tomorrow's industry leaders by means of building flexibility into work schedules, enabling access to advanced ICT, providing opportunities for continuing professional education and the incentive of attractive salaries and bonuses.

 

There are also other ways universities and other training institutions can act to ensure construction is regarded as an attractive career option, such as improving the industry's safety record. Currently, on average, one worker a week dies on construction sites in Australia, a statistic which is clearly unacceptable and which Construction Innovation, in association with industry leaders such as Bill Wild, John Holland Group, Bovis Lend Lease and leading industry associations such as Engineers Australia, are actively tackling through their research in developing national guidelines and frameworks across sectors to improve safety in the industry.

 

Other CRC projects promote the advancement of ICT and sustainability in the industry. These type of projects are helping to improve the “image” of construction careers and promote opportunities for young students.

 

Construction Innovation has for six years worked closely with industry to provide top students with industry-relevant research skills for a career in construction. Our education program, undertaken in association with QUT, RMIT, the University of Sydney, University of Newcastle and Curtin University of Technology, actively involves industry and government supervisors in each student's PhD and Masters research program, to ensure our 28 scholars are undertaking research of relevance to the industry.

 

QUT, in particular, has been a strong supporter of this approach, through provision of infrastructure to support Construction Innovation's industry research initiatives, and by its active participation in our research, education and training programs.

 

While skills shortages are undoubtedly the critical issue currently facing our industry in delivering infrastructure, other issues such as sustainability and productivity are equally as important to ensuring future growth. There is much industry can do to address these challenges, such as streamlining data entry through the supply chain to improve productivity and reduce wastage and disputes. In the sustainability arena, reducing the carbon footprint of our buildings and infrastructure is critical.

 

However, it will require a collaborative approach between industry, government and researchers to ensure these challenges are effectively addressed. Widely recognised for the unique role it plays in providing leadership of industry-wide research and development, Construction Innovation is ideally placed to provide valuable outcomes for Australian industry through applied research, education and technology transfer to meet these challenges.