Results of the survey released coincide with the start of National Skills Week.
“The Workforce Skills Survey findings are clear-more must be done to train young people so that our economy has the requisite skills to sustain existing and future economic activity on the Central Coast,” said Paula Martin, Regional Director NSW Business Chamber Central Coast.
“National Skills Week gives us the opportunity to consider and commit to actions that ensure we are building the workforce of the future and that engage with students, jobseekers and businesses more effectively,” said Ms Martin.
“Doing what we’ve always done isn’t working–we have a perfect storm of stubbornly high levels of youth unemployment, but businesses are crying out for staff.
“In two short years, we have seen a big increase in job vacancies for those businesses experiencing skill shortages,82,000 in 2019, compared to 54,000 in 2017.
“We must address the mismatch between the skills young people are obtaining and the skills businesses require, starting with ensuring that schools are making students aware of, and promoting, the breadth of options available during and after schooling, and providing more exposure to meaningful work experience.
“Half of businesses who responded to the survey reported that they would be interested in supporting more school students into work, and about 40 per cent are interested in employing more apprentices and trainees,” Ms Martin said.
