Skills Gap Project

To identify current and future skill and knowledge needs in key sectors in South Waikato District so that the District can begin to develop strategies in key sectors: 

• Education/training providers can respond to identified industry needs
• Attract and retain a skilled workforce

The South Waikato Lifelong Learning Group has moved ahead with a subset of the Project results. 

Download the SWLLLG components | Download the complete Project
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Background to project

• There is anecdotal evidence that employers are struggling to find people with the right skills
• There is a need for local solutions to local problems
• Employment Skills Survey commissioned by South Waikato District Council, Work and Income and Waiariki Institute of Technology
• These agencies are committed to addressing skills
• The research was undertaken over the period April to August 2004
• Draft documents were confirmed in February 2005
• Final version released June 2005

Key sectors

• Agriculture and horticulture
• Construction
• Education, health and other social services
• Forestry (eg, silviculture and harvesting)
• Wood processing
• Manufacturing (including food processing)
• Engineering
• Transport, distribution and logistics
• Professional, business and government services
• Wholesale and retail, tourism and hospitality, personal and other services

Key stakeholders

• Industry
• Schools
• Polytechnic
• Training providers
• Employment agencies
• Business organisations
• Business clusters
• Industry training organisations
• Iwi

Project methodology

• Industry sector overviews
• Review of existing information
• Industry sector overviews
  • Employment on a full-time, part-time and casual basis
  • Projected employment in the next three years
• Self-return survey of as many employers as possible
  • Mail-out to 1,700 employers
  • Target 510 completed surveys
  • Incentives to encourage returns
• Face-to-face survey with a cross section of employers
  • Interview employers in each industry sector
  • Gather qualitative information and more detailed responses

Project outcomes

• Identify current employment levels
• Predict employment levels in three years
• Identify where current skill shortages exist (eg, vacancies by industry and occupation categories)
  • Managers
  • Professionals
  • Technicians and associate professionals
  • Clerks
  • Sales and service workers
  • Agriculture, fishery and forestry workers
  • Trades workers
  • Plant and machine operators and assemblers
  • Elementary occupations
• Identify recruitment and retention factors
• Identify changing skill needs
  • Core skills
  • Management/business skills
  • Technical skills
  • Professional skills
  • Trades skills
  • Computer/IT skills
  • Regulatory skills
  • Customer service skills
  • Leadership skills
  • Sales skills
• Identify strengths and limitations of current education and training provision
• Identify opportunities to align education and training with industry requirements

Download the SWLLLG Project components | Download the complete Project
(Right click with your mouse and select "Save As")

For more information about the Skills Gap Project contact: