Quotes attributed to Engineers Australia CEO Romilly Madew:
“Engineers Australia welcomes measures to boost the economy including the Budget commitment of $55 billion over the forward estimates for new and existing infrastructure projects.
“Addressing the engineering skills gap will be important for the successful delivery of these projects and Engineers Australia looks forward to working with the Government to overcome this challenge.
“Collaborative long-term planning of infrastructure is vital to economic prosperity.
“On skills and skilled migration, with 58 per cent of Australia’s engineering workforce born overseas, skilled migration will remain essential to the nation’s engineering capability in the short and medium term, therefore the increase in places is welcome.
“The Government’s promised Migration Strategy focuses on growing Australia’s economy and attracting highly skilled workers.
“This unlocking of migrant potential and providing clearer pathways to permanent residency is vital to ensure Australia remains a destination of choice for skilled migrants, particularly as the global demand for engineering skills increases and other nations turn to migration to shore up their supply.
“Engineers Australia looks forward to the newly-funded Jobs and Skills Australia developing a detailed scope of future skills supply and demand.
“On cost-of-living relief measures which have been announced, the Government’s upgrades to parental leave and childcare subsidies will assist women who are assessing the financial viability of remaining in, or returning to, the engineering workforce.
“Engineering is the largest employer of the STEM professions, yet has the lowest number of women at just 13 percent of Australia’s engineering workforce.
“Boosting women’s workforce participation is critical in addressing skills shortages in the engineering profession.”
