STATE and federal skills ministers will work together through a new council seeking to deliver a stronger Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector in Australia.
Recognising the VET sector’s importance to the economy and ensuring Australians are equipped for work now and in the future, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Skills Council has pledged to ensure a system which helps all Australians get the skills they need for employment.
The Council, announced during COAG’s 47th general meeting on 9 August in Cairns, will work in consultation with education ministers, to advise leaders on future reform priorities by the end of 2019 and provide a reform roadmap to COAG in early 2020.
COAG leaders agreed to a shared vision for VET delivering high quality education and training that meets the needs of students and employers.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said “one of the really big challenges” facing Australia was a modern economy requiring Australians to be trained for the jobs they have today and the jobs they’ll have in the future.
“These are high-level issues that we’ve agreed on today and agreed a program of work to go through – particularly our skills ministers – to ensure that we’re getting people trained for the jobs that they are doing and will be doing and that employers need to grow their businesses and grow our economy,” he said.
“The skills agenda is one that we all feel very passionately about and one that I know we’re going to continue to work very closely together on. We spend over $7 billion a year on that agenda and we want to make sure that that money works harder for all Australians.”
AMMA welcomes plan for VET reform
AMMA Director Operations Tara Diamond, a member of COAG advisory board, the Australian Industry Skills Committee, welcomed the decision and reiterated the importance of industry involvement.
“Resources and energy employers are facing skills shortages at levels not seen since the last investment and construction peak period,” she said.
“Securing the pipeline of skills to support major resources and infrastructure projects is a significant challenge that must be met head-on, collaboratively, by industry and government.
“Industry has a significant role to play. We must learn our lessons from the previous peak construction phase and be better at long-term industry skills planning, mobility between related sectors, and not have projects cannibalising each other for critical trades and semi-skilled roles.
“However this can only be achieved through state and federal governments working together, and working with industry, on a fit-for-purpose framework for skills development.
“One crucial area is micro-credentialing trade skills so people can work on major projects without needing to complete full apprenticeships. People could be more effectively credentialed to utilise their skills at periods of peak industry demand.
“Employers must be encouraged to think long-term, beyond their immediate project and operational needs, about skills development. The decline in government incentive programs has been very detrimental to encouraging a long-term approach.
“It is most appropriate that the COAG leaders plan to work closer together and more closely with industry on VET reform. There are strong opportunities on the horizon, but we need boots on the ground with the right skills, backed by a more flexible, fit-for-purpose credentialing and qualification system.”
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