Talent acquisition for your RTO: How to navigate the labour drought in 2023

Australia is experiencing one of the worst labour shortages in its history. According to a recent report published by the National Skills Commission, there were almost 300 professions with national shortages of skilled workers by the end of 2022.

 

Among them are RTOs: skills-training and qualification-giving institutions that offer nationally recognised certifications. It falls on RTOs like universities and training programs to ensure they produce the next generation of skilled workers. But if RTOs themselves aren’t able to recruit skilled teachers, where do their successors come from?

 

This painful irony means it’s no wonder that Australia is finding it hard to tackle the labour shortage. This article explores why RTOs are experiencing a lack of skilled workers and how it affects them, as well as offer tips on how best to secure top talent for your RTO in 2023.

 

Why are RTOs experiencing a skills gap?

The long and short of is that the Australian workforce has never fully recovered from the pandemic. The country experienced its greatest emigration since World War I, culminating in a net outflow of around 89,000 people.

 

The restrictions imposed to deal with COVID-19 forced many international students and skilled foreign workers to return home, leaving a gap in the skilled labour market. In addition, many of the remaining workers in Australia began to re-examine their priorities in the light of a world that was changing before their very eyes.

 

Due to the labour shortage employees found they had the upper hand for the first time in living memory. The barrier to jumping from one employer to another, even one industry to another, lowered considerably and many took advantage of these new opportunities, safe in the knowledge there were plenty of other jobs if it didn’t work out. Others sought to redress their work/life balance and left the workforce prematurely or went back to studying.

 

RTOs require highly trained employees, but these are exactly the type of people who have been empowered most by the tightening job market. It’s no wonder that RTOs find themselves in more fierce competition than ever before for a smaller pool of appropriate talent.

 

How does the labour shortage affect RTOs?

Since the pandemic, remote working has emerged as a preferable environment for many employees. This shift has produced a need and a desire for reskilling, something which RTOs can provide. According to a Workplace Intelligence survey, 89% of participants said they are motivated to improve their skills in the upcoming year.

 

This – coupled with The Great Resignation and changing attitudes towards work – has meant the demand for RTOs has increased, as has the necessity for an expanded labour force to handle this demand. What’s more, advances in student administration technology mean current staff, as well as new employees, need retraining in order to adapt and function more efficiently.

 

Finding staff that are already well-versed in the new technology is now more pressing than ever, but the lack of skilled workers remains severely limiting for RTOs. The cost of finding and hiring staff is also likely to be higher given the law of supply and demand, as well as the inflationary crisis and with wages rising across the board.

 

It is unfortunate for RTOs that they are experiencing a higher demand for training and education services just at the same time there is a shortage of skilled talent to meet that demand and drive growth. To thrive in this challenging environment RTOs need to target the right talent, even if costs more to hire those people, and leverage new technology to work more quickly and efficiently to reduce their overall costs to serve.

 

Tips for RTOs to hire and retain top talent in 2023

Tackling the skills shortage can be difficult, but there are solutions for RTOs. If you’re concerned with what the 2023 workplace trends will mean for your RTO, consider the following points to give yourself the best chance of hiring top talent.

 

Turn to your own graduates to hire: Since RTOs provide training programs and qualifications, they produce a direct supply of skilled workers. Looking to your own graduates to fill vacant positions is therefore beneficial, as you are already familiar with their abilities and personalities.

 

Look to remote workers: In times of financial hardship, hiring remote talent is cost-effective and smart. Companies like Flexhive offer platforms to find highly skilled employees and reduce your hiring costs. What’s more, offering flexible remote or hybrid work as an option greatly improves the attraction of your company.

 

Improve your company culture: Employees are increasingly pursuing jobs that align with their values, highlighting the need for positive workplaces and equal opportunities. Embrace social justice and non-toxic practices to attract higher-quality workers.

 

Upskill and train your existing staff: Many employees are making improving their skills and learning new ones a priority for 2023. As an education and training organisation you are in a better position than most to upskill your existing staff. For your business, it’s also important to train staff on new student administration technology to increase efficiency. If you can, access government VET assistance to fund training programmes.

 

Make talent retention a top priority: the cost of hiring a new employee is far greater than the cost of keeping one you already have. Make sure you listen to your employees, incentivise and reward them accordingly, and provide them with a non-toxic, diverse environment to ensure you retain their skills in 2023.