A new survey shows Colac continues to struggle with a skills and labour shortage.
Businesses have reported difficulty filling staff vacancies and pledged their support for a proposed trade training centre in Colac to help address the problem.
Colac Otway Shire Council surveyed 89 businesses as part of an application for a new trade training centre at Colac’s Beechy Precinct.
The council said 84 per cent of respondents reported difficulty filling staff vacancies.
Jobs that are most difficult to fill include cooks and chefs, automotive and diesel mechanics, administration and clerical staff, retail and sales assistants.
Colac Toyota business manager Connie Wilson said applications for mechanical apprenticeship positions had reduced in the past 10 years and the industry had an ageing workforce.
Mrs Wilson blamed a lack of motivation among youths for the skills shortage but said more training opportunities in Colac could improve the situation.
“It would be great to see Colac go ahead with more opportunities to help young people advance their skills but at the same time they have to want it and support it,” she said.
“It seems kids don’t want that manual, hard-working apprenticeship anymore, they don’t want to do the hard yards first.”
Colac Botanic Café manager Maree Gannon agreed there was a skills shortage in Colac.
“Because we’re part of Otway Community College, we are always running hospitality courses and responsible service of alcohol courses to try and get people skilled in Colac,” she said.
Colac Otway Workforce director Paul McCallum said Colac was not alone in its skilled worker shortage.
“The issue is not isolated just to Colac,” Mr McCallum said.
“There is always a demand for chefs in our region, as there is across the country,” he said.
“I think also motor and diesel mechanics are not perceived as glamorous trades to enter into.”
Mr McCallum said industries needed to work closely with the region’s secondary schools to attract students into skilled worker-deficient areas.
He said programs such as school-based apprenticeships helped draw teenagers into trades.
Mr McCallum was optimistic about Colac’s skilled worker future.
“The long-term goal is to get local people trained up in shortage areas and encourage them to stay here,” he said.
“We also need to attract people back after they finish their tertiary studies.”
Colac employers launched a campaign back in 2006 to attract skilled workers to the city in an effort to tackle its labour shortage.

SKILLS: Second-year apprentice chef Daniel Groves started at Colac Botanic Café two months ago. Colac businesses have reported a shortage of skilled workers, including chefs, mechanics and administration officers.