Australia is currently facing a chronic labour shortage.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) there are 470,900 unfilled jobs across Australia as of August 20221, with job vacancies jumping by 40% in the past 12 months.
The number of occupations suffering labour shortages has almost doubled just this year, and some of the worst affected professions are critical to the nation’s health and wellbeing, like doctors, nurses, teachers, and engineers.
There are many complex reasons for these shortages – in some sectors, like hospitality and agriculture, two years of COVID restrictions prevented overseas students and migrants from coming to Australia.
Chronic labour shortages – how recognising English language skills can help solve the problem
The past 24 months have also had a significant impact on the field of professional certification, which is likely to remain for the foreseeable future.
Concerns around economic uncertainty have led to a rise in upskilling and reskilling employees, while lockdown restrictions saw a shift from classroom-based to online training and examinations.
Everywhere you turn in Australia, people are looking for workers. Businesses are calling it a “crisis” and the new Albanese Government has recently held a Jobs and Skills Summit to try to fix some of these labour issues.
One of the more tangible and immediate outcomes of the Summit was the decision to increase Australia’s annual migration intake by 35,000 a year, in the hope of attracting skilled working immigrants who will help meet the demand for jobs.
With English proficiency a key requirement for skilled migrants, a surge in language testing for immigrants is to be expected.
Language certifications that improve employability and changes lives
Companies like PeopleCert make it their mission to develop and deliver best-in-class exam and certification programs that enhance the lives and careers of candidates around the world, while at the same time addressing employability skills, language skills accreditation, and labour shortages.
Established in 2000, PeopleCert is the global leader in the certification industry. It offers a diverse product portfolio of 700+ certifications in IT & Digital transformation, project management, business, and languages, including two of the most globally recognised IP-protected frameworks, developed and evolved by the UK Government over a 30-year period; ITIL® and PRINCE2®.
PeopleCert delivers exams in more than 200 countries and territories, in 25 languages, through its state-of-the-art assessment technology, enabling professionals to reach their full potential and realise their life ambitions through certifications and learning.
To date, PeopleCert has worked with more than 2,000 training organisations and delivered 6.5 million examinations to individuals, 50,000 companies and 800 government departments.
According to Fraser Cargill, PeopleCert’s Director of Global Partnerships and Recognition, PeopleCert drives professionals and industries forward with certifications that can transform lives and businesses.
“PeopleCert offers sought-after certifications, innovative exams assessment, and a sophisticated platform for qualifications’ management. Overall, it presents the ideal solution for delivering truly global and secure test delivery and post-exam services,” said Cargill.
“Through LanguageCert, PeopleCert also offers language qualifications in English, Spanish and Classical Greek.”
Delivering business transformation with best-practice frameworks
“We consider that our investment in skilling, reskilling and upskilling individuals contributes greatly to reducing the labour shortage and skills gap currently challenging the world.”, continues Cargill.
“The past 24 months have highlighted just how hard it is to predict what is around the corner. What we do know is how important it is to adapt to change.”
Businesses and their employees have seen the value of standardised certification in future-proofing jobs against an increasingly uncertain future.
PeopleCert has likewise adapted the way in which it delivers its training and examinations to meet current needs and challenges, such as increasing the capacity of the online proctored exams delivery solution it pioneered, for example.
Today, the Australian government and its departments are among the biggest proponents of both the PRINCE2® and ITIL® frameworks globally, with widespread use of both at a state and federal level.
The adoption of PRINCE2 has been driven by a clear understanding that when you apply a consistent framework to managing projects, you achieve successful outcomes. It has therefore used across the board from local government projects to multi-billion-dollar defence programmes.
Over 20,000 people have been trained by this framework and there isn’t a federal department that hasn’t adopted it. From taxation, social service and health through law and order, to defence and agriculture, it is a method that public servants trust, whether they be in IT, policy, or a business role.
“When you consider that many businesses today operate globally, there’s a need for commonality when it comes to the certification this upskilling requires. After all, having different levels of knowledge and terminology in one country, does not necessarily mean it will be adequate in another,” Cargill said.
Investing in people, investing in innovation
“The future of training and certification might not necessarily remain mostly online as interactions with tutors and other students, sharing experiences and being involved in discussions, are an important part of the training process.”, added Cargill.
“However, training will not return fully to the way it was. Many businesses found delivering classes online to be cost-effective – there was no need to hire exam rooms, or pay for travel and accommodation, especially important at a time when many training budgets are being slashed.”
“Likewise, its flexibility has proved attractive to many, allowing students to undertake their training at a time that suits them best, breaking down many of the barriers associated with upskilling, reskilling and addressing current labour shortages affecting the nation.”
Cargill ends his assessment on the current situation with an observation about the need to prepare for the incoming demand for language accreditation among incoming skilled migrants in Australia.
“As we’ve seen, though, nothing is set in stone. However, what we do know is enhancing the skills and opportunities for each individual person in Australia – as well as those who wish to make Australia their home – is the bedrock on which our economic security was built.”
Find out more about PeopleCert today.
