Closing the global skills gap
22 January 2015Over the last year, we've seen complaints from crane owners around the world about a shortage of skilled operators. In some ways, this is one of those good problems: it's a sign that, globally, the crane industry recognises the importance of qualifed operators and rigging crew to safe and efficient lifting.
But in many countries, a lack of available operators does pose a challenge to crane owners. In Japan, this autumn, I talked to crane manufacturers who reported that, with government stimulus spending and the upcoming Tokyo Olympics boosting construction, a shortage of operators threatened to delay projects.
In India, last month, I talked to crane manufacturers who said that, while pay was still low by global standards, it was rising fast for some jobs. At the same time, labourers were increasingly unwilling to work on job sites unless there was a tower crane available. After a series of accidents on sites like the Delhi Metro, the major contractors in the country are now specifying safer cranes and demanding staff are competent and qualified.
It's not just a problem that faces project leads and crane companies in Asia. In Europe too, as some markets begin to recover, they find skilled operators in short supply.
Daniel recently spoke to crane owners and dealers in the UK for a region report. He tells me that many of them report that operators are reluctant to travel far to jobs, when there is work available on their doorsteps. That's OK if you need someone to work a crane in a big city like London; but when you want to send an all terrain out to a wind farm in rural Cornwall, say, it poses a challenge. As discussed in recent comments, that has also allowed operators unions to push wages up, in line with increasing demand for staff.
How then to ensure an adequate supply of skilled operators? I think the answer is to provide a clear path into the job, and to push for free movement of skilled labour.
Around the world, from ICEMA in India, to the SC&RA and NCCCO in the USA, and ESTA and CECE in Europe, trade associations and training bodies are developing certification schemes for lifting crew. As much as possible, these bodies should coordinate their efforts to make sure that certificates are transferrable. Certification schemes should be designed to work alongside on-the-job training to offer young people a path from unskilled labouring, through rigging and familiarisation with lifting, to certification as a crane operator. With transferrable certifications available around the world, the industry should push governments to recognise these when granting working visas.
