Governments have released a National Skills Plan which, according to its associated Factsheet, “outlines [the] shared vision for the vocational education and training (VET) system.”

The plan “will guide the work of all governments to deliver on the outcomes and national priorities in the landmark National Skills Agreement (NSA) and provide direction for industry, employers and the VET sector to help align efforts so that we are all working towards the same shared goals.”

The plan points out that the “VET sector has an important part to play in meeting the Commonwealth’s ambitions for a Future Made in Australia. It supports the development of a dynamic workforce with advanced and evolving skills. These skills are central to “net zero ambitions, delivering an expanded industrial base, increased manufacturing capability and economic security for Australia in the years ahead.”

The plan points out that, to achieve these overarching ambitions, governments are delivering reforms that will:

  • “Meet the demand for skills in critical industries
  • Increase the number of students completing VET qualifications, including by lifting access and support for students experiencing disadvantage
  • Allow Australians to build new skills – upskilling and reskilling – over their working lives
  • Support adults with low foundation skills to access the training they need to participate in employment, further education and training and the community
  • Improve the capacity and capability of the VET workforce to deliver this education and training
  • Invest in infrastructure and technology to teach the skills needed in today’s and future workplaces
  • Be future focused with a robust evidence base to understand Australia’s skills and workforce needs
  • Embed genuine tripartite engagement between employers, unions and governments (I’d also like to see an educator/RTO voice here, though)
  • Support genuine partnership with First Nations peoples on national policy and programs in VET.”

The plan also helps address a range of national priorities, but in particular is focused on:

  • Establishing tripartite institutions, the 10 Jobs and Skills Councils, to guide skills and workforce development
  • TAFE being at the heart of diverse, vibrant and high-quality skills and training sector, and by establishing a national TAFE Network to foster collaboration between TAFE teachers and administrators to improve teaching and learning practice, and enhance the status of TAFE
  • Growing and supporting a quality VET workforce to ensure the long-term sustainability of the sector through the VET workforce blueprint
  • Enhancing access to accurate and timely VET data and information, including to measure progress and support evidence‐based reform

There are 8 priority areas. These are:

  1. Gender equality
  2. Closing the gap
  3. Supporting net zero transformation
  4. Sustaining essential care services
  5. Developing Australia’s Sovereign Capability and Food Security
  6. Ensuring Australia’s Digital and Technology Capability
  7. Delivering Housing Supply, and
  8. Delivering reforms to improve the regulation of VET qualifications and quality.

They are described in more detail in the plan. However, key focus areas for the last of these (number 8) include:

  • Promoting best‐practice teaching and assessment approaches to drive excellence in the VET workforce
  • Facilitating responsive, flexible training to make the VET sector resilient to structural change to increase the standing of VET qualified jobseekers with employers
  • Ensuring the availability of key training, including existing broad‐based qualifications, top‐ups and electives, and new qualifications targeted to emerging sectors
  • Successfully implementing regulatory reforms, such as supporting RTOs through the transition to revised Standards for RTOs and ensuring TAFEs remain leaders in their breadth of VET delivery, and
  • Increasing collaboration and harmonisation between higher education and VET to create and deliver new qualifications and pathways as industry skills needs evolve.