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sparky to be their own boss before the
age of 25.
We decided to do a small survey to get
a feel of where the electrical industry sits
as an option for students who are about
to make some serious decisions about
their future.
We surveyed 22 year 10 students
from Mazenod College, a Catholic
boy’s school of 1,500 students based
in Melbourne’s south east. It was
the nearest college to our office, in a
mortgage belt area of Melbourne.
And while this ‘one class’ survey
doesn’t pretend to be a fully
representative sample, it did highlight
some fundamental shortcomings of
the industry.
Although these students had
been through a comprehensive and
compulsory Year 8 class of wood/metal
work and other hand skill introductions,
not a single student surveyed was aware
of the career pathways an electrical
apprenticeship can lead to.
Yes, most electrical RTOs, GTOs and
TAFEs can get applicants but the question
that needs to be asked is this: ‘Is the
industry attracting and selecting from the
best available pool of talent?’
Many schools, parents and students
tend to see university acceptance as
their metric for success and going into a
trade career can be seen as a failure to
reach that (parental) goal. At Mazenod
College, over 80% of surveyed students
aimed to go to university. Only two
students planned to do a TAFE course.
While it may be harder to get into
university, trade qualifications lead
to careers that often merit better
outcomes in earning potential,
employment rates and ultimately career
satisfaction. The electrical sector is
a prime example of a tertiary career
that has higher earning potential and
employment rates than many university
course-based careers.
With diminishing numbers of overseas
students, less recognised universities
are dropping their entrance levels to
achieve budgeted student numbers – thus
pushing even more kids into unproductive
outcomes and away from the trades.
Our student survey suggests today’s
youth has a narrow-minded view of the
electrical industry. Drawing associations
of grubby clothes, old utes, pulling wires in
roofs and always going on ‘smoke-o’ is not
exactly a winning formula.
Changing the perception of the
industry may seem like a herculean task
but the industry can take inspiration
from companies that have managed to
successfully shift public perception of their
‘brand’. It’s not impossible to do.
Remember when Old Spice was known,
unofficially, as domain of granddads,
never to be considered by the younger
generation? A marketing campaign
featuring a former NFL player popularised
the product among young people and
sent the company’s bottom line soaring.
Brands are not necessarily the same as
an industry, but getting the image and
marketing right is a great start.
The electrical industry could likewise
re-image and market itself, to enhance its
attraction as a career option.
While the electrical industry should
be working on increasing interest among
young people, work can also be done to
help students with the attributes, skills
and interest in the field, to find their way
to doing an apprenticeship and not be
steered off course by external pressures
along the way.
WHATTHE INDUSTRYCANDO
We spoke to Mazenod College careers
coordinator Vivian Seremetis and VCAL
coordinator Matt Johnson to find out what
the electrical industry can do to better
engage the students at Mazenod.
They made two critical suggestions
on ways the industry can help to inform
school students about the industry.
1.
The industry needs to provide
information resources to schools,
students and parents.
It is hard for career guidance councillors
to know the ins and outs of every possible
career choice out there. To help careers
teachers, the electrical industry needs to
create resources for councillors to provide
to students and parents.
“The meat industry for example
has a really good website about careers
in meat and the benefits of being in the
industry. It shows the meat industry is not
just about being a butcher and there are
many different roles available in the meat
industry,” Vivian says.
“It would be great for the electrical
industry to provide councillors with
printed materials we can hand out, videos
we can show and websites we can give
links to, all providing information on the
many benefits of working in the electrical
industry and the career paths electrical
can lead to.”
2.
The industry needs an
apprenticeship officer to assist
students who want to do work
experience in the electrical
industry, directing them to
electrical companies that are
happy to take on work
experience students.
“We’ve been struggling for many
years to get students placed in electrical
businesses,” Matt says.
“We had a student who really wanted
to be a sparky, he was very proactive and
wrote to many electrical companies but he
just couldn’t get a spot. He got frustrated
It seems like every second person is becoming a
personal trainer or barista nowadays.