Addressing the growing needs for qualified manpower A Manufacturing Perspective Cédric de Spéville Food & Allied Group
1.The Context 2.How are we doing? 3.The case of the Food & Allied Group 4.Food for Thought
1. The Context (Increasing unit labour cost + Slower labour productivity gains) Pressure on competitiveness (More pressure on norms + need for less variability in output) Need for cutting edge technology and Equipment Conclusion: no choice / “débrouillards” must become specialists
2. How are we doing? Many manufacturers recruit expatriates as specialized workers: – 45% of companies for non-EOE sector – 80% of companies for EOE sector (source HRDC) Top 2 reasons: – Lack of qualification and experience (mismatch) – Better productivity (lower adjusted cost) Top one remedy: – Training Soft Skills v/s Technical Skills
3. The Case of the Food & Allied Group Shortage for certain functions, e.g. refrigeration and maintenance engineers Technical / specialist jobs often viewed as stepping stones. But technical jobs are key and must be valued as such Foreign Technical partners Attract, Select, Train, Retain
4. Food for Thought Favour proximity industry / academia. Speed of program adaptation is key Develop soft skills Facilitate imported expertise / transfert de savoir faire – Expatriates – Technical partnerships Value technical jobs (ex pub)