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Tuesday, 27 February 2024
Centre for Education and Training Newsletter: Edition 25
A strong voice for industry skills needs
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Megan Lilly
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2024 has begun with gusto. It is shaping up to be a full and hectic year on the policy front. From a national perspective, the Federal Government has initiated a broad reform agenda across all sectors of education and training. Some of these reforms have progressed through to the next stage or to implementation; others are in more formative stages.
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In the VET sector the National Skills Agreement is a very significant step forward with implementation commencing on 1 January 2024. The VET Qualifications Reform Design Group will submit its interim report to Commonwealth and States & Territory Ministers in March.
The University Accord Panel report has just been released. This report will be a major policy driver across post-compulsory schooling for the foreseeable future. A myriad of other important reforms are also in train; combined these are all shaping the post-compulsory education and training sector for years to come.
The launch of the book Rethinking Tertiary Education: Building on the Work of Peter Noonan was the highpoint of 2023 for the Centre. Building on the ideas and themes of the book will form a significant part of the Centre’s agenda for 2024 through webinars, podcasts, reports, and presentations.
The Centre works with and for Ai Group members. We advocate on behalf of Australian industry to ensure the education and training system delivers the knowledge, skills and capabilities we need now and in the future. This benefits both the individual and the organisation.
Please reach out to us if you want to hear more about our work or would like to share your work. Join our network to receive updates, invitations and reports.
Megan Lilly
Executive Director, Ai Group Centre for Education & Training
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Ai Group Skills Survey now open
With skills and labour shortages continuing across the economy, Ai Group would like to hear how you are dealing with one of the biggest risks for businesses in the year ahead.
This survey helps us identify how current economic challenges are impacting the skills and training needs of businesses, and the strategies and support needed to upskill workforces to take on new opportunities. It also allows us to bring these issues to the attention of government and policymakers, and contribute to the development of strategies to ensure more businesses have the skills and capabilities they need.
This year, your views will help us highlight the ongoing and emerging labour and skills shortages constraining Australia's rapidly decarbonising and digitally transforming economy.
These insights also help us to understand the actions needed to alleviate skill pressures in the short term and address structural change in the education and training system in the longer term.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Complete the survey
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Skills for a cleaner future: Building the workforce for a clean economy
New research from the Ai Group Centre for Education and Training has found that most businesses feel positive about the transition to a clean economy, but many are only in the early stages of thinking about the skills and capabilities they might need to seize the opportunities.
The report, Skills for a Cleaner Future, is based on interviews with businesses from a broad range of industries including manufacturing, construction, engineering, health, food, electrical and packaging.
Find out more
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First Australian degree apprenticeship commences
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South Australian companies have completed recruitment for the first intake of degree apprenticeships in Australia. Software engineering, aligned to the Bachelor of Software Engineering (Honours) was declared a higher education trade in October 2023 by the SA Skills Commission in response to an application by the CET.
Find out more
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Dual electrical apprenticeship now recruiting in Victoria
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Victorian companies are now recruiting for apprentices who will combine a standard electrical apprenticeship with a degree in electrical engineering. Ai Group has worked closely with NHP Electrical Engineering Products and our education providers to design the program to meet industry needs.
Find out more
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Battery Electrical Vehicle (BEV) Training
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Training in diagnosing and repairing Battery Electrical Vehicle (BEV) systems is now available for people who have trained as mobile plant technicians. Two skill sets are available:
Previously these skill sets were only available for people who had trained as light or heavy vehicle mechanics or automotive electricians.
To find RTOs approved to deliver these skill sets visit the relevant link
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Apprenticeship commencements returning to pre-pandemic levels
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Data released by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) in December indicates that apprenticeship commencement numbers are returning to pre-pandemic levels. Cancellations and withdrawals, however, have continued to increase to the highest levels seen in the past decade.
Find out more
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Inaugural commissioner for Jobs and Skills Australia appointed
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Professor Barney Glover AO has been appointed as the inaugural commissioner of Jobs and Skills Australia. Professor Glover's experience includes university and academic leadership, most recently as Vice-Chancellor and President of Western Sydney University, as well as significant understanding of the VET sector and business leadership. He will commence in the role in April 2024.
Read Ai Group's Media Release
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New legislation designed to address quality & integrity measures in VET sector
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The Commonwealth Government has introduced legislation that is designed to tighten both quality and integrity measures in our Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector. The Bill empowers the training regulator, the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), to take decisive action against the minority of RTOs that use their operations for fraudulent activity, or to circumvent regulatory requirements.
Some of the changes include:
- an RTO's registration will automatically lapse when it has not delivered training and/or assessment for 12 months.
- RTOs will be prevented from expanding their course offering if they have been operating for less than 2 years.
Both of those changes, and others in the legislation, will help guard against potentially unscrupulous RTO activity.
Read Ai Group's media release
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COMPANY INITIATIVES
Natural Evolution Foods
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A North Queensland banana grower has transformed its excess fruit, not attractive enough for retailers, from waste product rotting away in the back paddock into a new product and a new revenue stream. "What we're beginning to realise is that so many solutions to the world's problems are just sitting in waste piles across Australia," says Rob Watkins of Natural Evolution Foods.
Find out more
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Skills Priority List Stakeholder Survey
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Jobs and Skills Australia leads work on skills shortage analysis, including the annual Skills Priority List (SPL) and reports on Skills Shortages.
The SPL provides a detailed view of occupations in shortage in Australia and by each state and territory, including the future demand for occupations in Australia. The SPL is released annually as a point-in-time assessment of the labour market.
The SPL survey assists policymakers in understanding the skills needs of the Australian economy and informs Jobs and Skills Australia's analysis and advice on potential policy responses to shortages in the Australian labour market.
This survey collects information on all occupations in the 2022 Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO). More information on ANZSCO classifications and skill levels is available at the Australian Bureau of Statistics website.
The survey targets employers, peak bodies, industry groups, professional organisations, unions, regional representative bodies, and education and training advisory bodies.
Click here for more details and to complete the survey
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Strategic Review of Australian Apprenticeships Incentive System
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The Minister for Skills and Training, the Hon Brendan O’Connor MP, has announced a strategic review of the Australian Apprenticships Incentives Regime.
The Review will look at:
- How the Incentive System and complementary services are performing in helping the take up and completion of apprenticeships and traineeships.
- The impact that cost-of-living pressures is having on apprentices and trainees.
- How the Apprenticeship System can best support high quality apprenticeships and traineeships, including the roles of government support, workplace conditions and culture, and employers.
- If the current system is creating a training environment encouraging women, First Nations people, people with disability and people in regional, rural and remote communities into apprenticeships and traineeships.
- How the Incentive System can be aligned with the priorities in the 2023 Employment White Paper and the Australian Government’s broader economic objectives.
The Review is accepting written submissions until 15 May 2024 and will establish a national program of online and face to face consultations in the coming weeks.
Read Ai Group's media release
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UPCOMING WEBINAR: 29 February
Degree-level apprenticeships: what are the challenges?
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Join this webinar for a special insight into degree-level apprenticeship pilot programs Ai Group has been working on, some of the challenges we have encountered and thoughts about how the model can be improved and extended. Megan Lilly, CET Executive Director will be joined by Georgette Elston of BAE Systems Australia, Kirsty Bateman of Babcock Australia & NZ and Iven Mareels from Federation University.
Find out more and register now
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Dr Caroline Smith
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Welcome Dr Caroline Smith
In January we welcomed Dr Caroline Smith to the CET in the role of General Manager, Education and Training – Policy and Projects. As a senior leader specialising in future skills, employment and economic policy, Caroline has had a distinguished career dedicated to empowering individuals and businesses. Her focus includes economic and skills development, labour markets, workforce planning and the future of work.
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With extensive expertise in federal and state government and peak bodies, Caroline brings strategic insights on workforce development policy and innovation. Caroline’s experience includes being the inaugural Executive Director of Jobs Queensland, Deputy Chief Executive of the National Employment Services Association and Executive Director, Economic and Policy Futures in Queensland government.
Anne Younger has stepped back from full-time work in CET but will stay connected with the team and support project work.
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