workforce growth
Source left-right: Enterprises; ABS Counts of Australian Businesses, Online Vacancies; JSA - Internet Vacancy Index, Qualification Enrolments; NCVER, RTO's; training.gov.au, Workforce Growth; IBISWorld Industry Wizard.
The Australian aviation industry is a crucial component of the country's transportation infrastructure, connecting people and businesses both domestically and internationally.
Australia’s aviation sector was dramatically hit by COVID-19. By 2020, 38.5% of the industry’s workforce had been lost through early retirements or transition into more secure employment. In the post-pandemic environment, aviation has rebounded strongly with nearly 83% of COVID-19 induced stand downs being reversed.
Despite these challenges, the industry has remained resilient, with many airlines introducing new routes and expanding their operations.
Additionally, the industry has benefited from significant investment in airport infrastructure, including upgrades to major airports such as Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.
Strong employment growth of 10.5% is forecast for the sector in the period to 2026. In a safety critical, highly regulated sector, this strong skills demand will create challenges for the VET sector. The Australian aviation industry faces significant opportunities, including the potential for increased tourism, growth in the domestic market, and the emergence of new technologies and advancements.
Aviation Training Package
The Australian Vocational Education and Training (VET) system aims to provide individuals with work-ready skills for the labour market – skills that businesses and industries need to be highly productive and internationally competitive.
The Aviation Training Package meets the needs of the industry and provides nationally recognised Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualifications for occupations including Aerodrome Operations, Aviation Transport Security Protection, Search and Rescue, Air Traffic Control, Flight Operations including remote pilot.
Aviation Strategic Workforce Planning Committee
Industry Skills Australia has established a Strategic Workforce Planning Committee for each major industry to sit at the heart of the Jobs and Skills Council. Comprising senior industry leaders, these Committees are the central mechanism through which industry is empowered to identify its immediate and emerging skill needs and the responses that are needed by the national skills system, industry and governments.
The Committees work on behalf of industry to shape and oversee the development of the National Workforce Plan based on intelligence and consultation with key stakeholders from across Australia. The Aviation Industry Strategic Workforce Planning Committee membership was established in November 2023. The Committee comprises of:
- Adrianne Fleming (Chair), Tristar Aviation Company Pty Ltd
- Dissio Markos (Deputy Chair), Transport Workers’ Union
- Burt Sigsworth, Dnata Ground Operations
- Catherine Walsh, Qantas
- Danni Maynard, Australian Airports Association
- Greg Tyrrell, Australian Association for Uncrewed Systems
- Air Commodore Gregory Frisina, Australian Defence Force
- Julian Fraser, Australian Helicopter Industry Association
- Louise Pole, Australian Federation of Air Pilots
- Phil Brezzo, ISS Facility services
- Robert Walker, Regional Aviation Association of Australia
- Sally Taylor, Flight Attendants' Association of Australia
- Samantha Carlton, Virgin Australia
- Tony Lucas, Aust and International Pilots Association
For any enquiries about the Aviation Strategic Workforce Planning Committee, contact the Industry Engagement Manager, Mori Hajizadeh.
Draft 2024 Workforce Plan
Workforce Plans set out the workforce development challenges and opportunities facing the industry and serve as a roadmap for the future by identifying what industry, the national skills system and governments need to do to build an agile, highly productive and resilient workforce.
For more information about the Workforce Plans please contact Mori Hajizadeh.
2023 Initial Workforce Plan
Workforce Planning is the strategic centrepiece for Jobs and Skills Councils to inform and establish each of their other functions. An Initial Workforce Plan has been developed by Industry Skills Australia for each of our four industries: Maritime, Rail, Transport and Logistics (including Omni-channel Logistics and Distribution) and Aviation (including Space Transport and Logistics).
In developing the Initial Workforce Plan, we leveraged our deep understanding of ‘the state of play’ across each of the four industries to produce four Skills Priorities Papers. These papers outlined common megatrends impacting industries and specific workforce challenges and opportunities. Following targeted consultation with ‘critical friends’ including State and Territory Training Authorities, these Skills Priorities Papers formed the backbone of our workforce plans.
Informed by this consultation and a quantitative and qualitative evidence base, Industry Skills Australia’s 2023 Initial Workforce Plans provide an important baseline for our Strategic Workforce Planning Committees as they embark on developing the 2024 Workforce Plans for their sectors.
Careers
A career in the Aviation industry can take you across the country and around the globe, connecting you with people and businesses from around the world. Employing more than 93,000 people, it is one of the largest industries in Australia and is a major economic contributor, creating jobs and facilitating international trade and tourism.
With a career in Aviation you will take on new challenges everyday and be responsible for delivering customers an experience, not just a mode of transport. From commanding or maintaining aircraft to attending to passengers in the air or on the ground in a fast-paced airport, you can reach for the sky to find a career that’s right for you.
Your Industry Engagement Manager
Mori Hajizadeh
Mori brings a wealth of expertise in Aviation industry research and the VET sector. Having worked as a trainer in both the VET and Higher Education sectors in Australia and abroad, Mori possesses a deep understanding of the training sector's pivotal role in cultivating a sustainable and future-proof workforce. He has served as an education director at a higher education college, where he established e-learning programs and internships and fostered strong industry connections for students.
With an eye for emerging industry trends, he has experience in collecting and analysing data and intelligence in the field of skills development.
How to get involved
Great ideas to address these challenges and many more can come from anyone and anywhere. Whether you’d like to collaborate with us, share your ideas, get involved in our activities or simply stay informed, get in touch now to join us on the journey.