7 August 2025
The Aviation Industry 2025 Workforce Plan highlights a growing shortage of skilled workers in ground operations, including roles such as baggage handlers, ramp operators, and customer service agents. This shortage is driven by challenges in attracting and retaining talent across the sector.
Feedback from industry identified the need for a standardised training approach for core skills and competencies shared across ground operations roles. Currently, formal aviation qualifications are underused, with many workers undertaking in-house on-the-job training.
This project will examine current practices, technologies, and skill gaps in ground operations to inform updates to vocational qualifications. The aim is to enhance the relevance of training, increase the uptake of nationally recognised qualifications and improve workforce retention. These improvements will also support productivity and workforce planning across the aviation industry.
Through consultation with CASA and industry stakeholders, the project will identify existing roles, define core tasks and competencies and recommend changes required to the training framework. By aligning qualifications with industry needs and creating clearer career pathways, the initiative will help strengthen workforce capability and support the attraction of new talent, particularly younger workers, into aviation.
The project will:
- Analyse essential skills and competencies for aviation ground operations
- Identify gaps between current and emerging skill requirements
- Review existing training products to assess alignment with industry needs
- Recommend updates or new training products to better support the sector
A final report will outline recommendations for the review and development of aviation training products in Phase Two of the project.
The final report is due to be submitted by 30 June 2026.
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Klausch Schmidt Director of Project Operations M: 0417 568 967 | E: klausch.schmidt@isajsc.org.au |