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By David Jenkins

Australia and New Zealand have ambitious infrastructure plans. However, both countries are facing a similar challenge when it comes to workforce capacity. It’s likely that in the future, if a senior engineer retires and is not replaced, there may be project delays, unresolved maintenance problems, and staffing gaps. 

The facts are clear: in 2018 local government employed some 218,000 people across 538 councils, a figure which has increased by 2.2 per cent each year since then. Nevertheless, 83 per cent of councils are still experiencing vacancies, these being most noticeable in the fields of engineering, building, surveying and town planning. The effect is most severe in regional and remote councils. 

Engineers Australia believes that by 2030 there will be a requirement for 100,000 additional engineers across the country. We currently produce approximately 20,000 engineering graduates annually, however only 56% of qualified engineers are actually working in engineering occupations. 

There is also an invisible shortage: diversity in the profession. Women make up only about 14 per cent of engineers and First Nations Australians account for less than one per cent. If recruitment continues to come mainly from the same small section of the population, the skills shortage will not be solved; it will instead be maintained.

These challenges present a real opportunity. In the field of public works there is one of the most diverse kinds of engineering careers available, including projects such as wastewater networks, foreshore restoration, airport improvements, and the development of community parks and open spaces. 

Unlike most positions in the private sector, few offer such a wide range of opportunities or the noticeable, local impact which is now drawing in younger engineers. Professionals working in public works can be proud of the concrete benefits they provide to their communities, and it is a career IPWEA believes deserves to be talked about far more loudly than it currently is. Too much of the extraordinary work our members do - keeping water flowing, roads safe, and parks open - day in and day out goes unseen outside the profession itself. Part of our job is to change that, and to make sure the story of public works is told as the story of genuine community service that it is.

The variety of different types of work means that public works engineering is well placed to create a more inclusive workforce, as long as the profession addresses two important points: accepting new entrants, and making sure of their professional and social integration, instead of just hiring them.

To welcome students who might not regard engineering as a feasible career option, it is necessary to provide them with greater access via cadetship schemes and mentoring programs, and to acknowledge the qualifications of engineers who have been trained abroad. Employers should consider cultural competency to be a fundamental professional skill. Integration should include continuous support, for example through ongoing buddy systems and inclusive professional networks, as well as real attempts to help new arrivals become part of the wider community, not just of the organisation.

IPWEA is putting substance behind this. We are introducing a new mentoring scheme to pair emerging engineers and new entrants, including those arriving from overseas, with experienced practitioners who can open doors both professional and social. We are revamping our Young IPWEA offering, and reshaping our student and associate membership, so that the pathway into this profession is visible and welcoming, long before someone applies for their first graduate role. None of this replaces the harder, slower work of cultural change inside individual councils and consultancies, but it does give the sector a structure to build that change around.

A career in the field of public works provides a sense of purpose in addition to the professional and social advantages. To support this further, IPWEA have established a partnership with RedR Australia. RedR Australia is a leading international humanitarian response agency that selects, trains and deploys a range of technical experts, including engineers. 

Our members would be able to use their engineering skills in humanitarian and disaster-response situations overseas, for example by repairing water systems following a cyclone or by supplying shelter after an earthquake. Very few industries provide the chance to build a career that involves both local infrastructure development and work in the international humanitarian sector. This dual aspect is a real strength when it comes to attracting engineers who are looking for careers that have real significance.

The current workforce shortage runs into the tens of thousands and is still widening, which means the profession can no longer draw its staff from the same small group it always has. This approach could offer a new perspective on addressing workforce capacity. That is why IPWEA is investing in the next generation and in real diversity: through mentoring, through Young IPWEA, through student and associate membership, and through simply telling the story of what our members achieve every day for their communities.