How relevant is the metal trades brand for work-ready students to consider as a serious career?
Author: Phillip Meek
Supervisors: David Woodward, Jeremy Taylor
Meek, P. (2023). How relevant is the metal trades brand for work-ready students to consider as a serious career? (Unpublished document submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Professional Practice). Otago Polytechnic | Te Pūkenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology https://doi.org/10.34074/thes.6039
Abstract
Due to a significant skills shortage within the metal trades, the purpose of this research project was to identify if the metal trades ’brand’ is outdated or out of touch with the current work-ready generation of students, and if so, what paths can this industry explore to attract young people into the industry. This research aimed to determine ‘How relevant is the metal trades brand for work-ready students to consider as a serious career option?’ by exploring these underlying themes: 1. Is the metal trade and the perception of its brand suitable as a recruiting tool? 2. What attracts work-ready school students to a particular career path? 3. What are the drivers and influencers of their decisions? A mixed-method approach gathered data through a quantitative survey and semi-structured qualitative interviews. Students in the Otago region participated in an online survey to assist with interview questions discussing career pathways and the motivations and influencers around those career choices. To confirm industries’ experience and the implications of the current employment shortage, engineering companies, including labour-hire companies, vocational training and pathway organisations, were interviewed. These companies were associated with my company’s operations in Dunedin and Sydney. Data was gathered from four participant groups: Work-ready students; Industry; Labour hire; Vocational training organisations. Data was gathered on these four groups, outlining their relationship through the lens of my diary notes, personal experience, and self-reflection. The key outcome of my research project is that knowledge is empowering. In the context of career pathway decisions, the nature and extent of this knowledge are vital for the metal trades to be seen as a serious career option. The metal trades are made up of small individual businesses that do not have the resources or influence to promote themselves to school leavers against the backdrop of universities and high-profile trade recruitment machines. The recommendation of this research is to share that knowledge of the metal trades as a viable career through an industry body, which is not currently available. The industry body would provide a cohesive and influencing strategy to spread and promote the benefits of the metal trade to the public, schools, parents, and students as a serious career option.
Licence
This redacted version of the thesis is publicly available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
