NAIDOC week 2025 will be celebrated from Sunday. This year is the fiftieth NAIDOC week. NAIDOC week is about allowing us all to “recognise and learn about the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples”.
This year the NAIDOC poster competition theme is The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Impact. Jeremy Morgan Worrall from Tenterfield in NSW won the poster competition with his powerful visual piece titled Ancestorial Lines. (2025 National NAIDOC Week Poster | NAIDOC) Worrall says about his work “looking back gives me the strength and vision to look forward”. Go to the 2025 National NAIDOC Week site to view this wonderful poster.
To mark NAIDOC week 2025, TDA has added nine stories to our First Nations Focus Story collection on the TDA website. Among these stories there are examples of First Nations TAFE staff leading in their communities and there are other examples of how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been impacted positively by working with their local TAFE.
You can read all nine stories now from the TDA website. Or each week for the next nine weeks we will feature one of these First Nations Focus Stories in this TDA Monday Newsletter.
Strengthening First Nations students’ access to vocational education and training is a feature of the National Skills Agreement. From the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) website: “Recognising Closing the Gap as a national priority, and First Nations peoples as a priority group provides a genuine commitment to meet Closing the Gap targets across all levels of government. In addition to the Closing the Gap initiatives, the Agreement provides a range of mechanisms and flexible funding arrangements that can be used to support First Nations learners. This includes targeted First Nations foundation skills initiatives and opportunities to boost cultural capability in mainstream RTOs through the National TAFE Network.”
This focus on First Nations students will also be part of the new Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC). ATEC begins tomorrow and has the purpose of stewarding higher education. One of their objectives will be about strengthening First Nations access and outcomes in higher education. Of note is the importance of a First Nations Commissioner as one of the three ATEC commissioners.
TDA members will be celebrating NAIDOC in various forms from Sunday. TAFEs and dual sector universities are committed to the role they play in enabling partnerships and improving participation with First Nations staff, students and communities.
Australia faces a shortfall of almost a quarter of a million skilled workers needed to meet industry needs in the finance, technology and business sectors, according to a report by the Future Skills Organisation.
The paper, Workforce Plan 2025: Pathways to Impact, says the workforce in the three sectors could reach 3.5 million – an increase of nearly 450,000 roles.
But the report finds that Australia’s current approach is unlikely to meet future demand, with a projected shortfall of almost 250,000 workers by 2030.
Technology jobs account for more than half of the gap (131,000 workers), followed by finance (64,000), and business (48,000).
The report calls for action across multiple fronts. As digital skills become more critical, it identifies a growing need to strengthen both generalist and specialist capabilities, particularly in critical areas such as cyber security, AI, cloud computing, and software development.
The Chief Executive Officer of Future Skills Organisation, Patrick Kidd, said emerging technologies were reshaping the nature of work across Australia’s finance, technology, and business sectors.
“Digital capability and AI literacy are now fundamental across all industries. Our education and training system must keep pace to ensure more Australians are equipped with the skills they need to thrive.”
The NSW state budget has delivered a 3.4 billion investment in TAFE and skills funding, with a strong focus on measures to tackle the housing crisis.
The budget includes $40.2 million over two years for fee free apprenticeships and traineeships which will fund an additional 23,000 construction apprenticeships.
There is $2.8 billion in funding for TAFE, which includes:
A key element of the budget is a $13.8 million Construction Workforce Package, designed to upskill and support 4,800 workers into residential construction jobs over the next two years.
The Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Steve Whan said: “TAFE NSW is crucial to delivering the skills we need now and, in the future, and this landmark investment will ensure TAFE continues to meet the needs of industry and the community.”
Join us to explore the evolving impact of generative AI on integrity and assessment. Dr Lenka Ucnik from TEQSA will outline TEQSA’s national AI guidelines for Higher Education and their relevance for TAFEs.
You will also hear from Dr Jenny Game from Chisholm Institute, who will share strategies to ensure assessment security and learning outcomes in AI-rich environments.
Finally, Dr Hayden Park and Dr Elly Thomson from Melbourne Polytechnic will present findings of their recent study on AI-generated feedback in teacher education, highlighting its benefits, risks and practical implications.
The Queensland state budget has outlined initiatives to drive skills development in the state, including $201 million for new TAFE Centres of Excellence.
There is $40 million in funding to train thousands of workers in priority skills including those needed for the 2032 Olympic Games infrastructure.
Key initiatives include:
The Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training, Ros Bates, said the Budget was delivering more trade and investment opportunities, better training outcomes and more jobs for Queenslanders.
“We are delivering stability, certainty and enabling growth for our trading partners and for Queensland businesses – which is critical during the current period of global trade volatility. “
The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) has published its full suite of finalised Practice Guides, in readiness for revised Standards for RTOs that come into effect tomorrow.
The Standards are the culmination of four years of work and extensive stakeholder engagement. The revised Standards comprise three elements – Outcomes Standards, Compliance Requirements, and Credential Policy.
See all the Practice Guides.
Jessica Sloper, a mother of eight from Caboolture, is embarking on an inspiring journey 
with TAFE Queensland to fulfil her dream of becoming a paramedic.
Studying the Adult Tertiary Preparation (ATP) course, she’s determined to set an example for her children, proving that pursuing higher education and a rewarding career is never too late.
Having spent the past 17 years as a stay-at-home mum, she has shifted gears to focus on a new path, initially considering the police force.
Helping Jessica achieve her career dream is done through Fee-Free TAFE funding, part of the Queensland Government’s Good People – Good jobs: Queensland Workforce Strategy 2022–2032. It aims to connect, educate, and attract the people needed to meet the state’s workforce demand in existing and new industry sectors and support continued economic growth.
Join us for an engaging TAFETalks session exploring how TAFE Queensland is strategically transforming digital learning to drive educational innovation and learner success. Michelle Roberts from the Brisbane Educator Capability team will share how Adobe tools are being embedded across teaching and administrative functions, with a spotlight on their powerful impact in the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP), enhancing both engagement and accessibility.
Michelle will be joined by educator Sophie Nguyen to present a recent digital capability project focused on boosting learners’ digital literacy. Discover how creative and strategic approaches are being used to make learning more accessible, inclusive, and engaging across diverse student cohorts.
This session is ideal for TAFE leaders, educators, and decision-makers seeking practical insights and scalable strategies to embed digital capability and innovation across the education sector.
Systemic problems with the apprenticeship system are threatening to turn employers away from using it as a means of skills development, according to a new report from Australian Industry Group.
Based on a survey of employers, it found that 96% of those surveyed said they faced barriers when hiring apprentices and trainees.
Around two-thirds of employers surveyed reported that they have difficulty finding suitable candidates to fill apprenticeship and traineeship vacancies.
Innes Willox, the Chief Executive of AiG said the report lays bare the systemic and human issues that employers have in hiring apprentices and trainees.
“If employers lose heart or stop supporting the system, thousands of young people will miss out on vital employment opportunities,” he said.
Around half of employers surveyed said that their employment of apprentices and trainees would reduce if they no longer received financial incentives.
The report recommends making government incentives for commencements to all employers of apprentices and trainees across industries, regardless of size, with additional incentives for employers to attract apprentices in priority sectors and skills shortage occupations.
See Apprenticeships and traineeships: The employer perspective
What happens when the power of generative AI meets the practical needs of TAFEs?
In this engaging webinar, Build the future of education with humans and generative AI, Professor Martin Bean unpacks how leading TAFE providers can harness this emerging technology to transform learning, streamline student services, and build a stronger sense of belonging across campuses.
Drawing on real-world insights and sector-wide shifts, Martin explores the opportunity for TAFEs to go beyond automation, leveraging AI to empower staff, personalise learning pathways, and drive measurable impact for learners and institutions alike.
Future Skills Organisation (FSO) training product projects
For details visit the FSO website
Scholarship of Learning and Teaching (SoLT) 2025
3 July 2025
South Bank, Queensland
More information
34th National Vocational Education and Training (VET) Research Conference ‘No Frills’
9-11 July 2025. Registrations are now open.
Gold Coast
More information
TAFETalks: Navigating assessment and integrity in the age of GenAI
Wednesday 23 July 2-3pm AEST
Register here
TAFETalks: Evolving digital learning for strategic impact at TAFE Queensland
6 August 2025 14:00 Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
Register here
Victorian TAFE Association TAFECreates25 Conference
7 August 2025
Melbourne Polytechnic Conference Centre, Melbourne
More information
VET National Teaching & Learning Conference
14-15 August 2025
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
More information
National Skills Week
‘Explore All the Options’
25-31 August 2025
More information
MyeQuals Connect
2 September 2025
Venue: Rydges Latimer Christchurch
Register here
25% discount code: TDAMyeQuals
Impact ATEM 2025
Association for Tertiary Education Management annual conference
7-10 September 2025
Australian National University, Canberra.
More information
TAFETalks: Build the future of education with humans and GenAI
29 October 2025 14:00 Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
Register here
Velg Training National VET Conference
30-31 October 2025
Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre
More information
Association of Colleges Annual Conference
18-19 November 2025
Birmingham, England
More information (contact TDA memberservices@tda.edu.au)
TDA Convention 2026
SAVE the DATE
5-7 May 2026
Brisbane
More information
48th WorldSkills International Competition Shanghai
22-27 September 2026
More information
2026 WFCP World Congress
23-28 November 2026
Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, Kenya
Save the date
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