The HASANZ Health and Safety Workforce Pipeline Report “Building the Professions” identifies capability and capacity gaps across seven disciplines and provides recommendations for positive change. A key finding is that at least another 2,100 health and safety professionals will be required over the next 10 years in New Zealand.
A priority for HASANZ is to co-design and co-ordinate a cross-sector, multi-year programme of work to address the issues highlighted by the Report. With this aim in mind, HASANZ recently hosted a workshop bringing together representatives from across the health and safety sector, education providers, business, government agencies, peak bodies and HASANZ member associations. We agreed on these focus areas to address workforce shortfalls, in the following order of priority:
- Education provision and training pathways
- Improve understanding and marketing
- Address skill shortages
- Competency frameworks
- Multi-culturalism and diversity
- Alignment with Government
- Involving business
- Improving connections and sharing
- Health and safety representatives.
HASANZ is now working through all the ideas and feedback to identify the next steps to build a skilled and qualified health and safety workforce.
Philip Aldridge
HASANZ Executive Director