From the Chair: 19 April 2023

By Michael Firman, MEA Chairman

As the Australian events industry roared back to life, it was stifled by a vacuum in the workforce left by the devastation of the pandemic. Employee migration and fear of a return to government restrictions made it difficult for business to rebuild its workforce quickly to meet the demand. This was not unique to our industry, labour shortages were wide-spread and business faced a new challenge in the form of a workforce skills shortage.

Adding to the challenge, there are not enough young people starting careers with the necessary skills to fill positions the previous cohort left vacant. This is leaving situations where employers believe that workers do not possess the right type of competencies to perform tasks associated with their job.

It’s a complex issue, but what skills are needed in today's society that the next generation will need for success? When we talk about skills shortages, many think it refers to niche or highly advanced capabilities. But in practice, it is generic skills that are often the biggest challenge. Literacy and numeracy are examples of generic skills, but I would add communication, common-sense and the ability to problem solve.

What basic skills in todays’ world are considered generic skills that every new employee should possess? What skills are required to succeed? There seems to be a growing gap between what employers believe are skills a candidate should possess and what additional skills the employer should be providing employees. Is the next generation missing out on acquiring life skills that they should be learning earlier in life?

A recent study in the UK found that more than two-thirds of 1,000 fathers polled said their own father was more ‘hands on’ when it came to passing on life lessons. Fathers are no longer teaching their children basic life skills like camping, fishing and basic construction. For many fathers, the problem seems to be time – they said they are simply too busy to teach their children these skills.

The other day, someone from our office needed help because they didn’t know how to change a flat tyre. One of my earliest memories was learning how to repair a bike puncture or replace the chain. This progressed into doing my own car repairs. I was always pulling things apart and putting them back together again.

I learned how to pitch a tent and build a fire – and when I say tent, we had to dig trenches around the tent to keep the water out! I learned how to use a compass, how to fish, how to read a map, how to hammer a nail.

Many skills passed on from my father’s generation came from times of economic recessions, where recycling wasn’t a fashion but was a necessity of life. There wasn’t a nail, screw or piece of timber that was discarded; everything was kept to be repurposed, you never knew when you’d need it to fix something else, and you fixed it yourself! The skills acquired were adaptability, resilience, self-motivation and the ability to look for solutions to solve a problem.

My family will tell you that I am an avid Survivor follower, you know that reality TV show that features a group of contestants deliberately marooned in an isolated location, where they must provide basic survival necessities for themselves. I’m absolutely fascinated watching how people from a variety of backgrounds, age groups and ethnicities use the skills they have acquired in life to outwit, outplay and outlast and ultimately be crowned Sole Survivor. I often wonder if the skills I’ve spent a life-time acquiring would stack-up against others, do I have what it takes.

It’s a question I ask myself when interviewing new employees, do they have what it takes to survive? What life skills have they already acquired to set themselves up for success, or do they pass the responsibility of learning these skills to the employer?

We hear the phrase ‘upskilling the workforce’, to help expand ones existing capabilities and provide professional development. Not to be confused with reskilling, which refers to replacing an employee's outdated skills with new skills that meet the needs of the changing market.

So what are the tops skills the next generation needs for success? Critical thinking, problem solving, adaptability, communication, initiative and drive? Perhaps the skills required to succeed in the modern world have not changed from previous generations, but rather how you acquire these skills has changed and now not readily available.

Or perhaps, a great candidate is not one who has the right generic skills, rather a great candidate has the right attitude and positive energy to acquire these skills at any stage of their career development, with an attitude of integrity, commitment, discipline and humility.