We get it: further study is a big commitment, and you want to know that your chosen occupation is still going to exist by the time you graduate.
Helpfully, a comprehensive new study by researchers in Victoria has mapped out the biggest changes set to affect the Australian workforce in the coming five years, making it easier for us all to plan for the future. View the NCVER report.
By 2024, millions of Baby Boomers will have retired and technology will have transformed several major industries. The authors say these shifts will create thousands of new jobs in some fields but dramatically reduce job opportunities in others.
The key message, researchers say, is that employment will continue to shift towards higher-skilled jobs (such as trades), while jobs that can be carried out by machines and computers (including factory work) will continue to decline.
The report also says mining jobs will suffer as the mining boom ends, and that retail job growth will slow as our spending habits change.
The good news is that trained workers are already in high demand in several emerging or evolving industries. “We have organisations calling us looking for apprentices and we just can’t keep up,” says Andrea O’Bryan, Manager of the Chisholm Skills and Job Centre.
Andrea reckons the prospects are particularly bright in one of Chisholm’s speciality areas, horticulture and conservation. “Horticulture and conservation is going gangbusters,” she says. “Part of the current government’s platform is about growing the food bowl, so studying horticulture and conservation and land management can absolutely take you anywhere.”
She adds: “We have a really deep offering in that area, and organisations approach us all the time seeking qualified staff.”
Here are four more occupations that will be looking for a growing number of workers between now and 2024, according to the report.
Nursing, Midwifery and Disability Support Workers
The double whammy of population growth and an ageing population means there will be a 2.5%-per-cent per year rise in the number of jobs available for nursing and midwifery professionals, making a Diploma in Nursing a smart choice. In addition, new disability services roles will be particularly abundant thanks to the continued rollout of the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme). Chisholm offers a range of disability services qualifications, including Certificate III in Individual Support and Course in Introduction to the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Accountants, Auditors and Company Secretaries
New roles in business administration are predicted to increase by 2.9%-per-year as the Australian economy shifts away from mining and manufacturing and towards small businesses. Business qualifications at Chisholm include Certificate IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping and Certificate III in Business Administration.
Early Childhood Education and Care
A growing population is likely to contribute to a 2.6%-per-year increase in roles for child carers, the report authors reckon. Chisholm’s early childhood care and education faculty offers courses in Early Learning, Education Support and more.
Information and Communications Technology
The rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN) will fuel a 2.2%-per-year increase in the number of roles for workers trained in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and telecommunications. Computer technology courses at Chisholm include Certificate IV in Information Technology and Diploma of Software Development.
Source: NCVER