ED is sponsoring the Industry Training Federation’s Vocational Education and Training Research Forum today and tomorrow. The ITF has provided three research summaries that we are running as guest posts - this is the third one. Anne Boyd from Heathrose Research and Doug Pouwhare from the Electricity Supply ITO are presenting a paper today on Strategic Responsiveness:  Increasing Maori, Pacific Peoples’, Migrants’, and Women’s Participation in the Electricity Supply Industry.

“I’ve got it now so no-one else in the whole wide world can take that away from me.”  These were the words of an employee interviewed about what had kept him motivated to complete his work-related training.  His sense of personal achievement and independence is evident.

He was part of an ESITO-commissioned research project focusing on Māori, Pacific peoples, women and migrants working in the electricity supply industry – and how the sector responds to the needs of those employees.  It also examined why those groups undertake training, what stopped them starting or completing training, and the wider issues that contribute to recruitment and retention in the industry. 

The research is the latest initiative in work undertaken by ESITO over the last decade to identify barriers that Māori, Pacific peoples, women, and migrants face when trying to get into, or stay in, the electrical supply industry.

The tragedy is the industry is losing out by not recruiting, and holding onto, the best people for the job because these groups are still under employed.  And the flipside – people who are interested in working in the industry (or might if it was easier to get into) are being excluded.

The business benefits of employing a diverse workforce are well documented and widely agreed these days.  They include having a wider talent pool to draw on, an enhanced employment brand, increased productivity, a workforce that reflects the diversity of the market place, and innovation that’s driven by diversity.

Past research shows that employees stay in a job if given the opportunity to learn and to complete qualifications through training delivered on and off the job.  This, unsurprisingly, requires employees who are motivated to learn and employers who actively support good quality work-based training. 

A mix of trainees and those who deliver the training were interviewed and threw some useful light on motivators and barriers:  Why do people embark on study to improve their qualifications?  What helps them complete their training? Why do they give up early?

Factors that enable successful training include trainees’ own ambitions, experiences and personal qualities.  For both Māori and Pacific employees interviewed, the prospect of gaining a trade was important.  Māori employees talked about proximity to family as one of the factors that influences where they work or study.

Case studies in three companies also provided important information about what’s happening in workplaces and in particular, the factors that contribute to higher numbers of trainees participating and succeeding in training.  In one of the companies, employees and managers talk about the workplace having a strong sense of family/whanau.  They describe the culture as inclusive and involving them in decision-making.  It was also described as having a proactive safety culture where people look out for each other.

ESITO has acted quickly on the research evidence that indicates the importance of employer support for training and will soon launch a project aimed at raising employer awareness of the business benefits of attracting diverse groups into their companies.  The message is clear – responsiveness and equity policies are good for productivity.  There are several useful hands-on resources available and the project will promote their use in the industry.

A woman engineer summed up the injustice of it when she said: “I struggled to get a job – I had good grades but no one would look at me”.  Perhaps the current skills shortage facing the electrical supply and other New Zealand industries will help employers sharpen their focus on the many benefits to be had from employing women, Māori, Pacific peoples and migrants.