A Holistic View of Cybersecurity Education Requirements

This chapter sets the scene for the book as a whole, establishing the need for cybersecurity awareness, training, and education in order to enable us to understand and meet our security obligations. It begins by illustrating key elements that ought to form part of cybersecurity literacy and the questions to be asked when addressing the issue. It then examines the problems that have traditionally existed in terms of achieving awareness and education, both at the user level (in terms of lack of support) and the practitioner level (in terms of a skills shortage). The discussion highlights the importance of a holistic approach, covering both personal and workplace use, and addressing the spectrum from end-users through to cybersecurity specialists.

Skills shortage may hit Australia's post-COVID growth

Significance The closing of internal and external borders in response to COVID-19 has heightened a longstanding skills deficit in key industries, with implications for wage levels, prices and broader economic growth. However, a general increase in immigrant numbers may not provide the skills that are needed. Impacts Labour shortfalls may delay government infrastructure projects that were designed to lead the post-pandemic economic recovery. Foreign investment may be affected by skills shortages in key areas such as mining and metallurgy. Debate on immigration levels could influence voting in the general election that is now likely to be held in April.

Empowering female students to be successful professionals in the construction industry

The aim of this research is to empower female students who are studying construction related disciplines to be successful professionals in the Indonesian construction industry. The women’s empowerment is in line with the Indonesian Government’s long-term national development plan year 2005-2025. This research also contributes to improving the skills shortage in the Indonesian construction industry which has the biggest market share in Southeast Asia. This qualitative research employs semi-structured interviews with two groups of informants: female students in construction related disciplines and female leaders in the construction industry. A thematic analysis was then carried out to capture their key insights on factors that can empower female students and career success factors for women in the construction industry. The research findings contribute to advancing women’ empowerment principles, originally proposed by the UN Women Report (2018), by proposing four powerful principles to empower female students to be successful professionals in the Indonesian construction industry.

Ubuntu in the Engineering Workplace: Paying it forward through Mentoring

Research reveals that South Africa is facing a critical skills shortage. Companies are struggling to source engineering professionals for their ongoing operational success. In order to retain critical engineering skills, young engineers should be provided with inspirational mentorship. Despite South Africa’s move to a democracy, its workplace is still mired by social inequalities. Organisations aiming to harness diversity should create a culture of respect and accessibility so that all employees can reach their full potential. While many studies focus on the importance of mentorship, little has been said about the value of Ubuntu in mentor-mentee relationships. The paper argues that for an inclusive workplace, the answer lies in Ubuntu. By practising Ubuntu, mentor engineers can contribute to the direly needed professional development of young engineers. Ubuntu is an African philosophy which acknowledges that one’s own humanity is interlinked with the dignity and humanity of others. Ubuntu is forgoing one’s personal interests for the benefit of people around you, while growing together as a community. The study aimed to establish that instead of looking at individualistic solutions, we should embrace mutual growth and empowerment. The author used questionnaires with closed and open-ended questions to collect data. Fifty engineering professionals in different fields and from different cities in South Africa participated in this case study. The data were analysed inductively as well as deductively. Mentorship was identified as an important aspect of Ubuntu. It was recommended that engineers practise Ubuntu in their workplace to cultivate an ethos of community and mutual respect.

Skill shortage of bricklayers in Scotland

Purpose This study identifies that bricklaying trade has not benefited much from off-site production, and bricklaying has been highlighted as a trade significantly affected by the documented skills shortage in Scotland with 66% of small and medium enterprises reporting difficulties in recruiting bricklayers. Design/methodology/approach This study used an interpretivistic philosophy adopting the phenomenological qualitative research approach using purposeful sampling technique and semi-structured interviews to allow for emergent themes to develop. The theory of proximal similarity that connects the study’s characteristics and the characteristics of the group under study was adopted. Findings Findings from the emergent themes identified issues grouped into key themes such as inconsistency of income, lack of care and self-employed workforce. The sub-themes included the Scottish climate, risk and profit, physical strain and government expectations and the cost of innovation. These were considered in relation to their existing and future implications for the industry. Research limitations/implications A wider and more diverse group of industry participants from different parts of Scotland would have made the study more representative. Practical implications It is imperative that the Scottish construction industry supports, develops and trains future bricklayers capable of maintaining existing housing stock and to deliver on future construction projects in Scotland. Originality/value This study explores the shortage of skilled bricklayers within the Scottish construction sector.

Australia budget places growth over fiscal discipline

Significance The strategy should support the economic recovery that is already underway following a year of pandemic-related restrictions. There will be more spending on infrastructure and additional tax relief for businesses and workers, with the result that public debt will remain high for at least a decade. Impacts The skills shortage affecting business investment is likely to continue until international travel and migration normalise in 2022. Australia will hold onto its AAA credit rating despite the growing debt load, but the outlook has become more negative. The coalition’s expanded social agenda will weaken the opposition Labor Party ahead of the pending general election.

Human Resource Management in Asia

This chapter reviews key characteristics and developments of human resource management (HRM) in Asian countries against the backdrop of their rich historical features and the rapidly changing landscape on many fronts. It takes stock of what has been researched in the HRM field and the theoretical perspectives underpinning it. There is a growing trend for positivist HRM studies of hypothesized organizational conditions and individual behaviors, at the expense of in-depth qualitative studies of the motivations, actions, and interactions of social groups, and outcomes in specific organizational settings. It is clear that Asian countries are advancing at a rapid pace in their economic development, powered by growing technological competences. However, each nation-state is confronted with a different set of HRM challenges, ranging from skills shortage to workforce aging, informalization of employment, changing expectations, behavior of the workforce, and so forth. We argue that the understanding of people management in workplaces must take into account a range of institutional, cultural, organizational, and individual factors. We also argue that HRM research needs to be engaged with real and live issues that are confronting employing organizations and individuals, with the aim of adding social value and extending our intellectual horizon.