ADVOCACY The Langi Kal Kal Prison Program
WELD AUSTRALIA’S ADVOCACY IN 2021 shortage—not political posturing and promises that cannot be kept,” said Crittenden. As such, Weld Australia advocated for a radical four-pronged approach to overcome the nation’s skilled welder shortage that includes: an overhaul of welding apprenticeships; tapping into hidden sources of talent; refocussing STEM training in schools; and investment in TAFEs nationally.
As the peak body for welding in Australia, our primary goal is to ensure that the Australian welding industry remains both locally and globally competitive, both now and into the future. In all our advocacy activities, our over-reaching vision is to facilitate the growth of a world class welding industry.
As the urgency of Australia’s COVID-19 response fell from the headlines, the lasting affects of the pandemic on the global economy became clear. These were coupled with the ongoing war in Ukraine, a severe shortage of skilled labour, and supply chain issues. However, Weld Australia’s role remained clear: to provide highquality advocacy services to members. Weld Australia’s advocacy agenda focused on training initiatives for the next generation of welders and fabricators, building a sustainable and productive local industry, and ensuring superior welding quality standards and public safety.
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Weld Australia
Skills Shortages Weld Australia estimates that, unless action is taken now, Australia will be 70,000 welders short by 2030. This urgent issue is not unique to Australia; the US will face a shortage of 500,000 welders by 2030, and Japan estimates a shortfall of 250,000 welders by 2050. This global shortfall of welders is driving most developed nations to implement extraordinary measures to resolve it— Australia must follow suit. According to Geoff Crittenden (CEO, Weld Australia), “Australia does not have the welders to deliver the nation’s critical energy, defence, rail and infrastructure projects. We will be unable to deliver on the Federal Government’s promises, like renewable energy targets that require fabrication of wind towers, solar panel structures, hydrogen plants and battery processing plants. Access to the global supply chain for fabricated steel products is a high-risk and expensive proposition.” “We need a practical, actionable plan that can be implemented now to overcome the welder skills
Sovereign Manufacturing Capability In 2022, Weld Australia continued to push for further investment in sovereign manufacturing capability. Weld Australia has long urged the federal and state governments to support local manufacturers, welders and fabricators in their procurement processes. Local procurement has the power to create thousands of jobs, a solid local supply chain, and an industry equipped to export worldclass products all over the world. According to Crittenden, “There is a real opportunity for the federal and state governments to invest in creating a robust, resilient manufacturing industry that can compete on the world stage. Government procurement practices that support local welders and fabricators will create thousands of jobs, supporting local economies in a post COVID-19 world.” “With a long-term procurement commitment from the state governments, Australian manufacturers will have the confidence to reinvest in their own capabilities, strengthening the industry from within. This type of business innovation strengthens businesses and creates new and better jobs, which together support a move to higher living standards. Innovation investment by business is crucial to our ongoing prosperity.”
“In recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, this type of economic expansion is essential; both the Federal Government and the Reserve Bank of Australia have emphasised how important it is for state governments to spend money. And yet, our state governments consistently spend our money overseas.” “Offshoring manufacturing, welding and fabrication work to the likes of China, South Korea and Spain weakens Australia’s economy.” “If all our governments adopted a nationally consistent procurement process that considered whole of life costs and prioritised local content, not only would it create thousands of jobs, it would deliver better quality public transport. Locally fabricated trains would adhere to all relevant Australian and international Standards, reducing expensive rework and repair. Cheap imports from overseas often cost more in the long run,” said Crittenden. Quality and Compliance The quality and accuracy of the entire lifecycle of the welding process must be carefully controlled, from design right through to inspection. This type of approach is essential because it is impossible to undertake complete verification of a welded joint without destroying it.
Australia’s prison population continues to grow at a rate that is four times that of the general population. According to the most recent figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, from 30 June 2020 to 30 June 2021, the total number of Australian prisoners increased by 5% to 42,970. As at 30 June 2021, the median age was 35.6 years for all prisoners. When comparing the prison population to the general adult population, prisoners are much younger—2 in 3 (65%) prisoners were under 40, compared with about 2 in 5 (40%) in the general adult population. Many prisoners have education and skill levels well below the Australian average. Almost 2 in 3 (63%) prisoners have an education level of Year 8 or below. And, possibly most concerning, once prisoners enter the correctional system, finding their way out can be tough. The Productivity Commission’s latest report on government services found that, in 20202021, the rate of prisoners returning to prison in Victoria was 43.6%. All these statistics paint a clear picture: our prison population is rapidly expanding, and is increasingly comprised of younger people and reoffenders. This gives rise to the need for practical rehabilitation and vocational education and training (VET) programs that can help alleviate recidivism. The introduction of VET programs as part of prisoner rehabilitation offers opportunities for prisoners to reduce this disadvantage, increasing the likelihood of successful re-integration into the community and reducing the risk of reoffending. A recent study confirmed that participation in VET whilst incarcerated helps prisoners to remain custody free post-release. In fact, prisoners who successfully completed VET were 59.96% more likely to remain custody free at two years post-release; and 78.23% more likely to remain custody free at five years post-release. Given the proven success of VET programs for prisoner rehabilitation, in 2022, Corrections Victoria expanded the VET Centre of Excellence model to deliver Fusion Welding to ISO 9606 certification standard to complement their Metal Fabrication industry at HM Prison Langi Kal Kal. Federation University delivers the training program with the support of Weld Australia and on-site prison industry staff.
Inspection after completion does not guarantee weld serviceability. Quality must be built into the welding process, right from the very beginning. Welding must be done correctly the first time. A weld cannot be adjusted once it is complete. The only course of action is to scrap the weld entirely, and start again.
As part of the program, augmented reality training was introduced to expand the welding skills of the prisoner learners to meet international standards. A welding workshop sits alongside the augmented reality training room so that participants can work on projects to use and practice their welding skills in the physical as well as virtual environments. To participate in the program, prisoners are invited to submit an Expression of Interest and then selected through an interview process. Up to eight participants can be accommodated in the intensive 14-week program.
As such, the welding processes set out in Australian and International Standards are crucial—they must be followed exactly. Standards like AS/NZS ISO 3834 Quality requirements for fusion welding of metallic materials must be implemented. Welders, welding supervisors and welding inspectors
With Australia facing a looming shortage of skilled welders—70,000 additional welders will be needed in the next 10 years—Weld Australia advocated for the national roll-out of this important program. If you’d like to get involved as a prospective employer, click on the link below and complete the quick and easy Expression of Interest form. 2022 | Year in Review
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