RESOURCE RICH - CAPITALISING ON WAGGA WAGGA'S SKILLS BASE
Young professionals, both those retained from our own educational institutions in Wagga Wagga and those recruited from other areas play a vital role in the sustainability and resilience of our economy. These young people have the ability to build and inspire community development, introduce new and fresh ideas and provide leadership. They also have the ability to attract other professionals to the area. By attracting other like minded professionals a constant flow of information is maintained. This in turn produces an "accumulated capital" of networks, which makes new arrivals and young people themselves sources of innovation and change.
Over the past 50 years regional and rural communities in Australia have witnessed the movement of skilled young professionals to metropolitan areas. In some cases this migration has led to the stagnation of economies.
An analysis of the Business Survey conducted by the Wagga Wagga City Council at the end of 2009 emphasised that a shortage of skilled labour was evident for businesses in professional services. Wagga Wagga has 17.7 per cent of people over the age of 15 employed in professional services while the national figure is 19.8 per cent. While Wagga Wagga is lower than the national average by 2.1 per cent it is important to keep in mind that regional areas, by the nature of the businesses located in them, generally have lower levels of employees in professional services. Conversely Wagga businesses employ a higher proportion than the national average of technicians and trade workers employing 16.1 per cent compared to 14.4 per cent. Wagga Wagga compares favourably with other regional centres in NSW such as Albury which has 17.8 per cent of professionals employed and 15.5 per cent of trade workers and technicians.
Our young graduates produced by Charles Sturt University and Riverina TAFE are one of the region's richest resources and a supply for future prosperity. These educational institutions produce a pool of well-rounded, educated and bright young people every year and it behoves the wider business community to capitalise on this home-grown skill base.
The ‘brain drain' crisis occurring between our regional cities and metropolitan areas is evermore important as Wagga Wagga's aging population moves towards retirement.
Wagga Wagga City Council views this as a serious issue not only for Wagga Wagga's local economy but also the wider region's and endorses a collaborative approach identifying local government, educational institutions and the business community partnerships to address graduate training placement in workforce planning.
Wagga Wagga City Council would like to hear from local businesses who recruit skilled professionals to register their interest in recruiting Wagga Wagga graduates by contacting Emma on 02 6926 9170 or emailing turner.emma@wagga.nsw.gov.au
