Skills Organisations: National co-design discussion paper

The Australian Government is investing $41.7 million to pilot Skills Organisations in two key industries: human services care and digital technology (including cyber security). The Skills Organisations Pilots will drive innovative ‘end-to-end’ training solutions and enhance the role and leadership of industry in the national training system. The Joyce Review proposed Skills Organisations be owned by industry and take a leadership role to support the [vocational education and training] VET system better meet the needs of employers, the economy and learners. The two pilots will trial new ways of working to shape the national training system to be more responsive to skills needs for those industries – from the identification of skills needs, to qualifications development, through to improving the quality of training delivery and assessment. Lessons from these pilots will help inform broader improvements to the national training system., According to the Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family businesses 2018 Employment Projections, Health Care and Social Assistance is projected to make the largest contribution of any sector to employment growth, increasing by 250,300 jobs in the next five years. Digital technologies are essential to Australia’s economy. The number of employed [information and communication technology] ICT and telecommunications professionals is projected to increase by at least 16 per cent by 2023, which equates to an additional 46,000 workers. In addition, the cyber security sector has estimated a need for 18,000 more employees for the sector to meet its full potential., Alongside implementation of the two pilot Skills Organisations, the Australian Government is seeking input from stakeholders, across the VET system, to explore opportunities for ‘future-state’ Skills Organisations to improve industry leadership and employer confidence in the VET system, as well as improving quality in learner outcomes. This information, in addition to learnings from the two pilot Skills Organisations, will inform future Government decisions about the Skills Organisation model, including how this approach could deliver a VET system more responsive to industry needs and expectations. To understand stakeholder views about the concept of establishing Skills Organisations beyond the pilots, the Department is holding national, co-design workshops with industry peak bodies, small and large employers, employee representative and others. The Department is seeking stakeholder views on a range of elements to understand whether and how the concept of Skills Organisations could drive improvements to employer confidence in the VET system to deliver the skills their organisations need now and into the future. This discussion paper has been created for public consultation, with submissions closing on 15 November 2019.