This document outlines three workforce development projects being undertaken by the CRC Workshop:
1. The Attraction and Industry Image project aims to identify strategies to attract more engineers, tradespeople and operational staff to the rail industry. It involves surveys of students and industry. Tentative recommendations include increasing engagement with universities and improving industry branding.
2. The Skilled Migration project researches ways to secure a long-term supply of skilled labour through migration policies and innovative recruitment approaches. Key deliverables include a forum report and information kit.
3. The Staff Retention and Engagement project seeks to identify strategies to improve employee retention and engagement within rail organizations and across the industry through evidence-based practices. It involves case studies
3. R.112 Attraction and Industry
Image
The issue
The Rail Industry is not attracting sufficient
numbers of engineers, tradespeople and
operational staff to fulfil current and future
needs.
The project steering committee
Frances Brown Chair (QR)
A/P Michelle Wallace Project Leader
ARA, QR, Railcorp,TransAdelaide,
MetroRail, VicTrack
SCU and QUT
4. R.112 Attraction and Industry
Image
Project aims
To identify the knowledge and
perceptions of rail careers within
engineering students, teachers,
academics, careers advisors and
commercial recruitment consultants
To identify better practices in
employer branding and attraction
strategies among rail and other
organisations internationally
5. R.112 Attraction and Industry
Image
Deliverables
Interim Report (Jan 2010)
Final Report (Nov 2010)
Portfolio of better practice in
employer branding and attraction
strategies especially those that
position rail careers favourably
(CD-ROM/Webpage)
6. R.112 Attraction and Industry
Image
Data collection
7 focus groups, 34 interviews with
students, teachers, academics,
careers advisors, commercial
recruiters, industry representatives
Survey 350+ engineering students
Survey Industry HR personnel
7. Findings: Career knowledge
Generally low level of knowledge Why?
1. Does not feature in engineering curriculum
2. Industry involvement in education low e.g.
placements/internships, project
sponsorship, guest lectures etc
3. Not the role focus of careers advisors
4. Lack of information
Notes:
Students, academics, careers advisors, recruitment
consultants expressed interest in rail career
opportunities
8. Findings: Influences
Influences on knowledge and perceptions
1. Careers advisors have low influence
2. Teachers/academics some influence
3. Placement officers, recruiters influence
4. Positive perceptions of rail careers from
family and friends
5. Negative perceptions from negative media
and consumer experiences
9. Findings: Student preferences
Job characteristic preferences
Salary and promotion opportunities
Job security and flexibility
High level of professional freedom
Innovative projects
Using cutting edge technology
Recognition and support
Notes:
Initial survey results suggests students do not have a
strong view that a rail career will offer benefits sought
10. Findings: Perceptions of rail careers
Not real engineering maintenance v design
Public service slow
Pale, male and stale
Lack of portability and career opportunities
Low prestige
Hard to please want experience now
Notes:
Initial survey analysis indicates most students do not
have a clear brand image of rail suggesting they lack
information about rails image.
Contrasts with views of some graduates/apprentices
11. Tentative recommendations
Knowledge of rail careers
Increase engagement with university sector
Improve relationships with influencers
Increase information flow
Get to students early (placements etc)
Branding of rail careers
Leverage strong brands of private sector
Streamline recruitment processes
Consider issues of culture
Get to students early
Notes: Portfolio provides examples
12. International perspective
Best practice attraction strategies
Viewing universities as fundamental source of talent
Providing significant funding to university initiatives
Engaging with students early (e.g. placements)
Promoting the industry and careers in schools
Developing superior recruitment websites
Targeting minority groups e.g. those with disabilities
Promoting rail as culturally important as well as
environmentally necessary (e.g. French Rail film
festival, sporting activities, cultural tours)
Notes:
Portfolio provides examples
13. Deliverable: Portfolio
Portfolio (CD-ROM/webpage)
1. Designed for industry practitioners in HR,
workforce planning, marketing and branding
2. Current issues facing employment brand of rail
3. Feedback from students, recruiters, academics,
and careers advisors on rail knowledge and
perceptions
4. Suggestions from marketing/branding experts
5. Links to documents, videos, animations and
websites that we consider better practice attraction
and image strategies (international focus)
16. Project Aim
To research skilled migration policy
frameworks, recruitment
approaches and innovative ideas
around securing the medium to
long term supply of highly skilled
labour for the Australian rail industry
Engaging multiple stakeholders
Research a wide cross section of
Australian rail industry
17. Skilled Migration Project
OUTPUTS
1. Skilled Migration Forum Report
2. Skilled Migration Stage 3 Interim
Report - literature review
3. Skilled Migration Stage 4 Interim
Report Creativity Hub data
4. Skilled Migration Information Kit
DVD/Webpage
5. Skilled Migration Final Report
18. Stage 3 Interim Report
1. Rail Industry HR issues & skill shortages
2. Skill shortages in general
3. Historical context of skilled migration in
Australia
4. Contemporary policy (skilled migration)
5. Current research in skilled migration
6. Engineering skill shortages/international
mobility of the highly skilled
19. Skilled Migration Project
KEY DELIVERABLES
SKILLED
MIGRATION
FORUM
INFO KIT/DVD CREATIVITY
WEB PAGE HUB Projects
20. Skilled Migration Forum -
26-27 November 2009
DIAC
DEEWR
EA / APESMA / Australian National
Engineering Taskforce
Skills Australia
VETASSESS / TRA
Universities- Engineering academics
Recruiters / relocation specialists /
migration agents
State initiatives
Rail industry leaders
22. Creativity Hub projects
1. Attracting and retaining skilled migrants - offshore
Methodology:
Case studies; interviews; focus groups; questionnaires
Recruitment practices and experiences
Perspectives from HR, Supervisors & skilled migrants
2. Recruitment of onshore skilled migrants
Methodology:
Case studies; interviews; 2 surveys
EA- Migrant members-online survey
AMES- hard copy survey
Independent general skilled migration
23. Representative industry
sample - data collection
Government entities/passenger
Manufacturing
Contractors
Consultants
Qld
NSW
Vic
SA
WA
24. Skilled Migration Information
Kit - DVD and webpage
7 Sections:
Recruitment
Skilled Migration Programs
Research
Skilled Migration Forum
Case Studies & Testimonials
Useful Links
Videos-snippets; podcasts; Ppts; research
reports; links; YouTube links
25. Recruitment section
Recruitment decision tree
Costs and return on investment
Marketing tools
Relocation and settlement issues
Induction and rail bridging courses
YouTube Recruitment campaigns
26. Case Studies
State Initiatives: WA, SA and Vic
Rail organisations:
Recruited onshore and offshore
Partnership with recruitment/
relocation companies
Perspectives from skilled migrants
Perspectives from HR managers and
supervisors/operations
27. R1.113 Staff Retention and
Engagement
Project Team:
Robert Thompson (QUT)
Lisa Bradley (QUT)
Yvonne Brunetto (SCU)
Artemis Chang (QUT)
Bernd Irmer (QUT)
RailCorp
Queensland Rail
V/Line
TransAdelaide)
VicTrack
28. Background
Strategic challenges in retention and engagement in
rail.
High costs associated with the loss of employees,
knowledge and capabilities.
Need for reinvention of workforce management
policies and strategies.
Understanding retention and engagement for
individuals, organisation and across the industry.
29. Project Objectives
Identify strategies for improving employee
engagement/retention for organisations and industry.
Identify and document examples of leading practice in
employee engagement/retention for knowledge
sharing within the industry.
To identify alternatives to retention/ engagement to
enhance organisational sustainability and build
organisational capacity through knowledge
management.
30. Project Benefits
Practical, industryspecific and evidencebased
strategies that can be developed to aid
retention and engagement of current and future
staff.
The implementation of these strategies will help
the rail industry redress the expected staff
shortages.
The adoption of leading practices to manage
employee retention/engagement will promote
the rail industry as an employer of choice
across the wider community.
The project will contribute to knowledge sharing
in the rail and related industries.
31. Key Areas
Culture and change
HR policies over time
Current retention and engagement
issues
Key human resource capabilities
Generational Cohorts
Employee types/groups
32. Employees today
Organisation success and
performance a consequence of
employee skills and knowledge
Ageing workforce
Shortage of skilled employees
Need to maximise retention and
engagement of skilled staff
33. Our Focus
Age
Individual
Career
Stage
Organisation
HR Policy
Leadership
Industry
Alliances
Talent pool
34. Individual
Age, generation, career stage,
motivation
Generational cohorts baby
boomer, generation x,
generation y
Deeper understanding of needs,
motivations, career orientation &
work/life balance is needed
36. Industry
Organisations may become more
innovative
or depart from standard HR
practices in order to create
sustainable competitive advantage
Change is a common theme
across organisations in the rail
industry
37. Methods
Secondary data collection (meetings
and personal communications)
Literature review
Questionnaire + interviews
Case Studies
38. Progress to date
Literature review undertaken
Secondary data collected
Identification of broader
organisation and industry issues
Global examples collected
Cross industry comparisons
underway