Engineers Australia has received funding from Skills Tasmania to undertake initiatives addressing recommendations from the Tasmanian Engineering Profession Workforce Development Plan.

Understanding Career Pathways for Engineering in Tasmania

The plan noted a range of challenges with career pathways – “there is a recognized need to open the entry points to the profession and support an integrated career structure through to management roles. The current pathway from STEM rich school experience to Post PhD is well mapped at either end but poorly in the middle”.

The Engineering Profession Workforce Development Advisory Group clarified that career pathways are a key priority in supporting workforce development and that career mapping should be the priority focus of the work plan going forward.

The objectives of the Understanding Career Pathways for Engineering in Tasmania Project are:

• To develop a clear understanding of the career pathway options for existing trade level engineering positions in Tasmania to transition to higher capability roles
• (For employer) to clarify skill clusters, identify their workforce needs and understand the pathways for sourcing or upskilling staff
• (for potential/existing staff) to demonstrate the variety of opportunities and pathways within the industry, as well as navigate to get the desired end, and
• (For the education sector) to understand the competencies and skill sets required by para-professional engineers.

The project will be completed by the end of 2018.

Gender equality in the Tasmanian Engineering Profession

Engineers Australia’s strategic direction highlights the need to promote greater diversity in the engineering profession and retention of women in engineering careers. According to the ABS 2011 Census data, only 8.7 per cent of the total Tasmanian engineering population are women and women make up only 6.7 per cent of those employed in engineering occupation.

In line with Engineers Australia’s Tasmanian Women in Engineering Strategy, the Gender Equality in the Engineering Profession project looks to build support programs focusing on both improving workplace culture and supporting Tasmanian female engineers in the 25-34 age bracket – a recognized age group where women are less likely to remain employed in engineering than men.

The expected outcomes of this 12 month project include:

• Increased confidence of female engineers in their ability to discuss topics with colleagues and manager that contribute to gender inequality in the workplace, and
• Increased level of preparedness of engineering organizations to implement cultural change processes and strategies.