Skills headache: NBN Co to deliver tech training programs

James Riley
Tuesday, 15 September 2009 10:28

IT Industry - Market

Anticipating deep shortages of technical and trade skills as it plans to roll-out its National Broadband Network, NBN Company executive chairman Mike Quigley says the venture will design and deliver its own specialist training courses with partners around the country.

And though NBN Co does not plan to create its own research and development organisation, Quigley says it will patent "whatever is patent-able" for possible resale to similar fibre roll-outs overseas.

As part of that process, he said NBN Co would build a test and integration laboratory to address any incompatibility issues between vendors, the results of may lead to NBN Co patents.

As the economy gathers moment, skills and other human resources issues were a major priority for the company during the build phase.

"We are going to need to leverage all of the skills that we can possibly get around the country," Quigley told a media conference call earlier today. "And certainly (we will) design and deliver training courses out into the industry in cooperation with our contracted partners."

"(This is) a very serious issue that we are going to need to address. Human resources and the human resources plan is a very big part of what we need to do in terms of the overall project planning," Quigley said.

While skills are a core issue for the company, it is unlikely it will look offshore to meet demand – although it may seek to recruit at least some management expertise with hands on experience in fibre to the home roll-out overseas.

"If we found somebody … who had been heavily involved in a fibre to the premises roll-out that was willing to come and join us, that would probably be a smart thing for us to do," he said.

The skills issue may ultimately decide where the NBN headquarters is located. In fact, regardless of where Mike Quigley locates himself and the headquarters, the company will be spread across multiple location in the major capital cities.

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