Maritime Workforce paper released
(uploaded 23 07 24)
The official launch of the Maritime Workforce Position Paper took place in Port Melbourne on 23rd July with the Federal Minister for Skills and Training Brendan O’Connor addressing a wide cross-section of representatives from the maritime industry. Minister O'Connor congratulated all the parties involved with the INPEX-initiated process that produced the Position Paper and urged all parties to continue to work together to lobby all relevant Ministers in Federal, State and Territory Governments to take actions within their portfolios. Victorian Ports and Freight Minister Melissa Horne also spoke at the launch.
Minister Horne advised that the Victorian Government is aware of the importance of maritime skills to Victoria now and in the future.
AIMPE Federal Secretary Martin Byrne participated in the discussion panel at the launch and emphasised that Marine Engineers are vital if Australia is to continue existing maritime operations and have a successful Strategic Fleet. Looking to the future, decommissioning of the Offshore Oil and Gas platforms and pipelines will also require a substantial maritime workforce as will the construction of new Offshore Wind farms. All of these require a serious maritime training effort now. Federal Council member Mark Jones also attended the launch. Mark has represented AIMPE for seveal years on the INPEX training committee.
The other organisations supporting the process and participating in the panel were the other maritime unions - AMOU, MUA - as well as the two employer associations AREEA and MIAL.
Oil & Gas operator INPEX was the sponsor of the research project that led to the production of the Position Paper. INPEX Senior Vice President Bill Townsend had the honour of announcing the official launch. INPEX took a collaborative approach to the process involving all three of the maritime unions as well as the two major employer associations.
Here is the media release issued for the launch:
MEDIA_RELEASE Seafarer shortage pushes national resilience to the brink
Six broad areas of actions are identified in the report which are:
Securing funding for retention training and education;
Recruitment campaign;
Extension of existing incentive programs;
Seagoing berths on government contracted vessels;
Co-ordination of maritime training; and
Investing in training facilities.
All of the parties which have endorsed the Position Paper are also co-operating in lobbying for support and action to achieve these various aims.
A summary of the report can be read here:
2024 Maritime Workforce Executive SUMMARY
The full report can be read here:
2024 Maritime Workforce POSITION PAPER
Maritime Industry joint approach to ABF
(uploaded 12 01 24)
In a similar vein to the Defence correspondence (see below), a joint approach has been made to the Home Affairs Minister to seek funding for maritime industry trainees on Border Force vessels.
The three maritime unions (AIMPE, AMOU & MUA) together with the two major employer associations (MIAL & AREEA) are preparing a general budget submission but ahead of that proposal have submitted the requests to Defence and Home Affairs in order to promote the inclusion of funding requests in the separate Portfolio submissions.
ABF did undertake maritime training for their own needs a few years ago but this has dropped off in recent times. Here is a copy of the correspondence:
Maritime Industry joint Defence training proposal
On 20th December 2023 the five major maritime industry associations sent correspondence to the three Ministers in the Defence Portfolio seeking Federal Government funding for seafarer training in the defence support sector.
There are now 6 large vessels under the DMSS large vessels contract and most of them have substantial berth capacity.
They represent an opportunity to make a positive contribution to new entrant training.
This letter is timed to ensure that the various Ministers include maritime training funding in their portfolio budgets for 2024-25.
The Jobs and Skills Minister is also copied to ensure there is co-ordination around this issue.
Here is a copy of the joint letter:
AIMPE & AMOU joint training proposal
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AIMPE & AMOU have proposed to the Federal Treasurer and the Strategic Fleet Taskforce that a new national maritime industry traiing program needs to be kick started with a Government sponsored training program.
The joint letter sent to the Federal Treasurer prior to the 2022 Federal Budget can be found here:
AIMPE AMOU letter to Treasurer.pdf
The submission to the Strategic Fleet Taskforce sent in December 2022 can be found here:
AIMPE AMOU Submission to Strategic Fleet Taskforce.pdf
The main thrust of the submission is as follows:
The size of training effort that AMOU and AIMPE would like to suggest is a national intake of 60 Deck Officer Cadets and 60 Engineer Officer Cadets or Trainees. There are three maritime training institutions which deliver the required (STCW level) Maritime Officer training – the Australian Maritime College (UTas) in Launceston, Hunter TAFE Newcastle and South Metropolitan TAFE Fremantle. Each of these colleges should be able to manage an intake of 20 Deck Officer Cadets and 20 Engineer Officer Cadets or Trainees in the first semester 2023.
The suggested intakes of 60 Deck and 60 Engineer students is based on a calculation of the minimum number of Maritime Officers required for a strategic fleet of 12 commercial cargo ships as follows:
Masters 24 Chief Engineers 24
Chief Officer 24 First Engineer 24
Second Mate 24 Second Engineer 24
Third Mate 24 Third Engineer 24
Total 96 96
So approximately 200 Officers would be required to operate 12 ships. With any training intake there will be a degree of attrition. The particular nature of the sea-going career is such that the attrition rate is higher than many other land-based occupations. An intake of 120 students might eventually see 100 qualified Maritime Officers continue in seagoing employment and possible progress through the ranks over time.
There are many issues that would need to be worked out in a short space of time to enable this proposal to be implemented including:
Funding/financial support
Recruitment; and
Placement on board ships [for sea-time requirements].
Ball-park costings per trainee range between $200,000 and $300,000 depending on the pathway and any pre-existing skill levels. These figures include course costs, travel and accommodation expenses, wages both at college and at sea and examination fees.
If all 120 candidates were fully funded that would be up to $36,000,000 over a three-year period. A copy of correspondence to Treasurer Hon Jim Chalmers of 28th September seeking Budget funding for Maritime Officer training is attached for reference.
Employer groups join maritime training push
(uploaded 01 09 2022)
The two major maritime employer groups - MIAL and AREEA - have called on the Minister for Skills and Training to address the critical shortage of essential maritime skills.
The call came just ahead of the Federal Government's Jobs & Skill Summit in Canberra on 1st & 2nd September 2022. It follows on from the call made by the 3 maritime unions for a new maritime industry training program [see story below].
MIAL & AREEA have indicated that they are very much aligned with the maritime unions in many areas of the training question.
The full text of the employers' letter can be found here:
220829 MIAL AREEA Joint Letter to Minister OConnor.pdf
Maritime Unions call for new Training Program
(uploaded 10 08 2022)
The three maritime unions have called on the Minister for Skills and Training to set up a new National Maritime Industry Training program.
The call was made in a letter signed by the leaders of the three unions - AIMPE AMOU & MUA/CFMMEU.
A national maritime industry training program needs to be established as a matter of urgent priority.
Labour supply issues have been identified by the industry survey published by MIAL in 2019 [Seafaring Skill Census]. The demographic profile of the maritime workforce in 2019 signalled a looming crisis as a wave of retirements appears like a tsunami. The situation has only worsened since 2019 – exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The text of the letter can be read here:
National Maritime Industry Training program letter to Minister OConnor.pdf.
TAFE NSW Marine Engineering Course Schedule for 2020
Hunter_TAFE__Course_Delivery_Schedule_2020__2021.pdf (102.19 KB Wed Sep 16 15:44:56 2020)
For any further info, contact Hunter TAFE directly.
TAFE NSW
266 Maitland Road
TIGHES HILL NSW 2297
T: 02 4923 72225
E: hunter.marineengineering@tafensw.edu.au