By Tony Field
Taranaki is launching a campaign to encourage skilled workers to quit Australia and come home.
The region's growing thanks to its dairy and energy industries, and it needs thousands more skilled workers.
It used to be called the “brain drain”, but these days they call it the “trades drain” – the loss of skilled workers to countries like Australia.
“There is no lack of opportunity here,” says Brian Souness of Clough AMEC Beca. “I think the main inhibitor for growth is definitely the talent and retaining the people here in the region.”
So Venture Taranaki is doing something about it.
“The years have been kind to Taranaki thanks to the white gold and the black gold – that's milk and oil, don’t mix them up,” jokes Ben Hurly in the Venture Taranaki TV ad.
Taranaki's oil and gas sector is booming, but there are plenty of other skills that are needed too.
“We are looking for health professionals,” says Venture Taranaki chief executive Stuart Trundle. “We are looking for teachers. We are looking for vocational trades.”
Some companies have been going as far as the US to find staff. It’s time-consuming and costly.
“Certainly in the US at the moment there are a lot of unemployed engineers, so we are lucky to be able to attract them,” says ITL Engineering operations manager Kim Gilkison. “But it's an expensive process.”
The campaign will begin using social media and ads in the Perth airport.
“There are great opportunities here,” says Mr Trundle. “You don’t have to go into a location thousands of kilometres from human existence. Really high air temperatures – you can come here to Taranaki.”
Adding to the appeal, the ads come just as Australia's mining industry goes into slowdown.
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