Positively affecting change in the fire prevention industry with a dedicated mentor and traineeship program

The current Australian skills shortage issue has been reported on at length. Various industries are looking across international borders for people to fill critical skills gaps in the Australian workforce.

The situation within the fire prevention industry which has been worsened by the effects of COVID-19 is no different.

Our Managing Director, Tom Marshall, says, “We can do more by building programs that stimulate knowledge transfer to a new generation of the Australian workforce.”

Youth unemployment rates over the past few months have reached levels previously seen during the 2008 financial crisis, according to the ABS (Australia Bureau of Statistics).

“We need to take a step back in time and find ways to nurture and mentor individuals committed to growing their careers. I started in this industry as a trainee fire protection engineer. I worked my way through the business, understanding every department and its function, which is important knowledge to impart to the next generation of DEM Fire. If we don’t prioritise these sorts of initiatives, there will be no one to take over what we’ve built over the last 20 plus years.”

Twenty-year-old Casey believes that more could be done at the school level for years 9 and 10, as this is when the university and career conversations are happening. “It would be so great if we were made aware of more initiatives like this when discussing university options and future careers at school. To get this sort of information would mean asking specific questions of specific people who may differ from school to school. It would be great to see more of these opportunities available across Australia.”