POLICY IMPLICATIONS FOR TRAINING AND SERVICES help increase cross-occupational mobility for workers in the future, it Support workers will not help workers who are currently displaced. What can be done could play a now to improve their situation? greater role in Increasing awareness of transferable skills educating workers about their A common issue identified in Snell, Gekara & Gatt (2016) and the ‘When transferable skills. one door closes’ research forum, is the lack of understanding of transferable skills among workers. Many workers did not realise or So, what is needed appreciate the wider to create more application of the array of ‘soft’ and generic technical skills they had mobility between acquired during their current employment, and instead focused on their occupations? specific technical skills when applying for new jobs. Support workers could Reconfiguring play a greater role in educating workers about their transferable skills and training helping them recognise how these skills can help them when finding packages alternative employment. The work of Snell, Improving knowledge of local labour markets Gekara & Gatt (2016) suggests Both Callan & Bowman (2015) and Snell, Gekara & Gatt (2016) point to that training the need for improved local labour market analyses as part of worker packages could be transition programs. With greater knowledge of the local labour market reconfigured into conditions, career counsellors and support services staff can more clusters based on accurately identify potential job opportunities or encourage retraining in the occupational growth areas for displaced workers. cluster framework. This will enable greater sharing of units of competencies across qualifications, which will encourage more transferability in the labour market. Another aspect of this will allow the mapping of how different occupations draw upon the skill sets. While such a process may
POLICY IMPLICATIONS FOR TRAINING AND SERVICES Support workers could play a greater role in educating workers about their transferable skills. So, what is needed to create more mobility between occupations? Reconfiguring training packages The work of Snell, Gekara & Gatt (2016) suggests that training packages could be reconfigured into clusters based on the occupational cluster framework. This will enable greater sharing of units of competencies across qualifications, which will encourage more transferability in the labour market. Another aspect of this will allow the mapping of how different occupations draw upon the skill sets. While such a process may help increase cross-occupational mobility for workers in the future, it will not help workers who are currently displaced. What can be done now to improve their situation? Increasing awareness of transferable skills A common issue identified in Snell, Gekara & Gatt (2016) and the ‘When one door closes’ research forum, is the lack of understanding of transferable skills among workers. Many workers did not realise or appreciate the wider application of the array of ‘soft’ and generic technical skills they had acquired during their current employment, and instead focused on their specific technical skills when applying for new jobs. Support workers could play a greater role in educating workers about their transferable skills and helping them recognise how these skills can help them when finding alternative employment. Improving knowledge of local labour markets Both Callan & Bowman (2015) and Snell, Gekara & Gatt (2016) point to the need for improved local labour market analyses as part of worker transition programs. With greater knowledge of the local labour market conditions, career counsellors and support services staff can more accurately identify potential job opportunities or encourage retraining in growth areas for displaced workers.
whenonedoorcloses-2861.docx