Tertiary education not at the main table on the JSA Advisory Board – comment by CEO Jenny Dodd

Today is a bumper issue for the TDA Monday Newsletter as we did not publish last week due to Easter. There is a lot to read this week if you want to keep up to date with major developments in tertiary education impacting TAFEs.

I’m going to focus my comments today on the formation of the Jobs and Skills (JSA) Ministerial Advisory Board. TDA welcomes the experience and diversity of those who have been appointed to the Ministerial Advisory Board (see the details in this newsletter). These individuals will contribute a range of perspectives and provide rich advice.

However, TDA queries why there is no representation by members of the vocational and higher education industry on the Ministerial Advisory Board. All boards providing advice to government need to have a range of expertise. In this case the expertise of the providers is absent.

The consultative body that was formed prior to the Ministerial Advisory Board demonstrated effectiveness in helping to establish JSA. The TDA Board Chair was a member of this consultative forum. In the formation of advice on the JSA Ministerial Advisory Board, TDA, along with other peak bodies in the tertiary education sector, argued for inclusion of the provider expertise.

As TAFEs, we are close to industry and our workforce is industry qualified and current. This industry alignment is required but often seems to be forgotten. In many ways TAFEs are slivers of the multiple industries for which we develop their workforce.

This exclusion from board membership also occurred when the Jobs and Skills Councils were formed. TAFE leaders were not allowed on their boards. However, having people driving such boards who may have quite limited understanding of skills development, including the standards and structures within which the sector works, may end up limiting their opportunity to really drive the change we need.

We anticipate there will be some means from which the voices of provider experts will be heard by JSA, but it will not be the same as being at the main table.

NSW government progresses key recommendations of interim VET review

The NSW government has started work on developing a TAFE charter and reorienting TAFE NSW course delivery to more closely align with industry needs, following the release of the Interim NSW VET Review.

Releasing the report, the Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Steve Whan said the review was an important step in restoring TAFE NSW which had been neglected for more than a decade.

Mr Whan said the findings of the interim report, including a TAFE charter, would be implemented immediately.

“…the Government has begun work on crafting a new TAFE Charter, and I’ve asked TAFE NSW to fast-track work on a revised operating model that aligns courses with industry needs, enhances support for teachers and puts TAFE at the heart of communities,” Mr Whan said.

The review panel says the TAFE charter should include a statement of purpose, expected outcomes, and role (including what is in and out of scope), agreed measures of success, ways of working, governance, and values.

The panel also calls for TAFE NSW to be removed from the contestable funding market and provided a direct appropriation, with accountability mechanisms through the TAFE charter.

The Panel is expected to submit its final report by the middle of 2024.

See the Interim NSW VET Review

TDA Convention 2024 – TAFE Staff Recognition Awards finalists announced

With just one month to go until the TDA Convention 2024, TDA is thrilled to reveal the finalists of the TAFE Staff Recognition Awards.

TDA’s TAFE Staff Recognition Awards were inaugurated at the TDA Convention 2022 to recognise and honour the achievements of TAFE staff across Australia. This year, TDA Board members reviewed over 70 remarkable nominations to select finalists across four categories: Heart of Leadership, Heart of Innovation using Technology, Heart of Student Success and Heart of Inclusion and Empowerment. Information on the thirteen finalists can be viewed here.

Our convention sponsors – ReadyTech (diamond), TechnologyOne (gold), and Aspire Education (gold) – along with the TDA Board Chair Mary Faraone and TDA CEO Jenny Dodd, will determine the gold, silver, and bronze winners.

Winners will be announced at the TDA Convention 2024 dinner on 8 May at Sofitel Sydney Wentworth.

TDA looks forward to welcoming you to Sydney in May 2024 for TAFE at the Heart which will delve into the very essence of vocational education and training in Australia. Information on registration can be found here and the program can be viewed here.

TAFE Staff Recognition Award Winners 2022

Members of Jobs and Skills Australia ministerial board announced

The federal government has announced the members of the new Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) Ministerial Advisory Board.

The board will provide independent, expert and strategic advice to the Minister for Skills and Training Brendan O’Connor and to the JSA Commissioner in relation to JSA’s legislated functions and the development of annual work plans.

Members of the committee are:

Chair – Ms Cath Bowtell, a highly experienced board Chair and industry superannuation leader who has been appointed for a three-year term
Deputy Chairs – Ms Megan Lilly (Australian Industry Group, Centre for Education and Training Executive Director) and Mr Liam O’Brien (Australian Council of Trade Unions, Assistant Secretary) who have been appointed for two-year terms.
State and Territory Representatives – Ms Lisa (Lill) Healy (Victorian Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions) and Ms Jodie Wallace (WA Department of Training and Workforce Development).
Employer Organisation Representatives – Mr Luke Achterstraat (Council of Small Business Organisations Australia, CEO), Mr Bran Black (Business Council of Australia, CEO) and Ms Natalie Heazlewood (Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Director of Skills, Employment and Small Business).
Employee Organisation Representatives – Ms Annie Butler (Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation, Federal Secretary), Mr Andrew Dettmer (Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union, National President) and Ms Correna Haythorpe (Australian Education Union, Federal President).
Professor Jack Beetson (Literacy for Life Foundation Executive Director)
Professor Rae Cooper AO (Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion @ Work, Sydney University)
Ms El Gibbs (Disability Advocacy Network Australia)
Ms Nyadol Nyuon OAM (Lawyer, Human Rights Advocate, TAFE Board Director).

Mr O’Connor said the board will ensure tripartite partners and leaders with knowledge and experience of key workforce groups, help plan for the nation’s current and future skills, labour market and workforce needs.

Parliamentary report tackles poor perceptions of VET

The Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training has released its report, Shared vision, equal pathways: report of the inquiry into the perceptions and status of vocational education and training.

The Committee has made 34 recommendations designed to address poor perceptions of the VET sector and enhance access to VET pathways. These include:

Significantly overhaul the functions of the National Careers Institute.
Developing a national careers education strategy for secondary schools.
Improving VET delivered to secondary school students via cooperative partnerships and increased school funding.
Rationalising the development and implementation of VET qualifications.
Addressing systemic barriers to women’s participation in VET, with a focus on eliminating gender-based violence and workplace discrimination and challenging gender stereotypes.
Enhancing apprenticeships, including by piloting a network of industry-led apprenticeship support providers, lifting pay and conditions, and exploring new apprenticeship pathways.
Creating a robust framework for developing, implementing, and funding micro-credentials.
Implementing measures to attract and retain a VET workforce with industry expertise and a greater range of pedagogical competencies.
Defining a clear roadmap to a genuinely integrated tertiary education system.

A copy of the Committee’s report and Chair’s media release can be found on the Committee’s website.

Strong increase in apprentice commencements

New data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) shows that apprentice and trainee commencements increased by 22.2% to 37,690 in the September 2023 quarter, compared with the same period in 2022.

The Apprentices and Trainees 2023: September quarter report shows commencements in trade occupations increased by 18.4% to 17,365 over the year, while non-trade commencements rose 25.7% to 20,325.

NCVER Managing Director Simon Walker said commencement numbers in the September 2023 quarter are also higher than corresponding pre-pandemic periods.

‘The increase in commencements for the September 2023 quarter follows a sharp decline in apprentice and trainee commencements in the September 2022 quarter, coinciding with the end of the Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements (BAC) scheme in June 2022. Encouragingly, commencements in the September 2023 quarter were 9.2% higher than the September 2019 quarter, prior to the pandemic,” he said.

Over the year to the September quarter, the number of apprentices and trainees in-training decreased by 9.8% to 365,420.

“While there has been a decline in apprentices and trainees in-training between September 2022 and 2023, in-training numbers are 33.1% higher than in September 2019, before the pandemic,” Mr Walker said.

Changes coming to Training.gov.au

The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations will be rolling out changes to enhance Training.gov.au (TGA). The new TGA is more intuitive and accessible, and will deliver:

improved usability,
a streamlined interface,
more robust search features,
and enhanced reporting functions.

DEWR has been engaging with the sector to help stakeholders prepare for the update and make the most of the enhanced TGA.

They will also be presenting and exhibiting at the TDA Convention 2024 in May to provide further details and answer questions, so make sure to look out for the Training.gov.au workshop and exhibition booth during the event.

The enhanced TGA is planned for a late 2024 release.

For more information about changes, you can visit the National Training Register Enhancement Project.

For other enquiries about the TGA changes, you can get in touch with the project at NTRReform@dewr.gov.au.

'Long training gap' a key factor in skills shortages: Jobs and Skills Australia

The most common driver of skills shortages in key occupations is associated with the long duration of training required, according to new analysis by Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA).

The analysis of Skills Shortage Drivers (SSD) is designed to help identify the potential causes, or drivers, of occupations rated ‘in shortage’ in the Skills Priority List. The SSD classifies skills shortages into four main drivers based on the likeliest cause of shortage:

Long Training Gap – defined by few qualified applicants per vacancy and a long training pathway, corresponding to a certificate III or above. This suggests a need to increase the number of available skilled workers but with significant time lags.
Short Training Gap – shortages arise when there are few applicants per vacancy and qualifications less than a Certificate III are required. This suggests a need to increase the number of available skilled workers, with shorter time lags involved.
Suitability Gap – occupations where there are enough qualified applicants, but they are not regarded as suitable for reasons that may include a lack of employability skills and work experience, or even due to unconscious bias of employers.
Retention Gap – shortages due to below average rates of retention, potentially reinforced by low numbers of new applicants per vacancy. This means that increasing the throughput of qualified applicants is unlikely to solve the problem because of the low likelihood of retaining them.

JSA says that the most common Skills Shortage Driver was Long Training Gap, with 46 of the 127 ANZSCO 4-digit occupation Unit Groups in this category. This was followed by Retention Gap, with 31 Unit Groups.

Long Training Gap was also the most common driver among the highest employing Unit Group in shortage, including Registered Nurses, Primary and Secondary School Teachers, and Electricians.

Nominations open to Australian Training Awards

Nominations to the 2024 direct entry categories for the Australian Training Awards are now open.

The awards recognise and celebrate excellence and are an important mechanism for promoting the benefits of VET.

Winners from each state and territory training awards compete for a national award title. Direct entry is also available for some award categories.

The following categories are open for nomination:

Finalists from these categories will join State and Territory Training Award winners in competing for a national award title at the Australian Training Awards gala event later this year.

Nominations can be submitted at Australian Training Awards and close on Friday 31 May 2024.

Diary Dates

My eQuals Connect
A discussion about the future of digital credentialing (free event)
7 May 2024
Sybil Centre, University of Sydney
More information

TDA Convention 2024, ‘TAFE at the Heart’ – Register now!
8-9 May 2024
Sofitel Wentworth, Sydney
Register here

Apprentice Employment Network NSW & ACT
2024 Skills Conference: Empowerment & Connection
12 June 2024
Dockside Darling Harbour, Sydney
More information

33rd National VET Research Conference ‘No Frills’
‘VET partnerships powering a dynamic workforce’
10-12 July 2024
North Metropolitan TAFE, Perth
More information

National Apprentice Employment Network
National Conference ‘Skills for Life’
23-25 July 2024
Hilton Adelaide
Save the date

VET National Teaching & Learning Conference 2024
‘From Competence to Excellence – Strive to Inspire’
15-16 August 2024
Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre
Save the date

National Skills Week 2024
‘It’s a Game Changer’
19-25 August 2024
www.nationalskillsweek.com.au

47th WorldSkills Competition
10-15 September 2024
Lyon, France
More information

WFCP World Congress 2024
22-27 September 2024
St James, Jamaica, West Indies
More Information

AVETRA 2024 Conference
3-4 October 2024
University of Technology, Sydney
Save the date

Jobs and Skills Council Events

Go to individual JSC websites for event details.

BuildSkills Australia
Virtual Roundtable
11 April 2024
buildskills.com.au

Manufacturing Industry Skills Alliance
National Manufacturing Workforce Forum
16 April 2024
Melbourne
manufacturingalliance.org.au

Powering Skills Organisation
Insights Update, 3 May 2024

Energy Pathway Roadshow: Collaborating for a Sustainable Tomorrow – events in Darwin, Alice Springs, Perth, Bunbury, Sydney, Newcastle, Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide, Melbourne, Geelong and Brisbane.
poweringskills.com.au

HumanAbility
State and Territory Roadshow 2024
www.humanability.com.au

Tertiary education not at the main table on the JSA Advisory Board – comment by CEO Jenny Dodd

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