Professor Barney Glover AO, the current Vice-Chancellor and President of Western Sydney University, has been appointed as the new commissioner of Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA). Professor Glover will take up his five-year term in April, following the announcement on 10 February by the Minister for Skills and Training, the Hon Brendan O’Connor MP.
Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) was established in October 2022 by the Albanese government, with one of its main functions being to provide advice on Australia’s current and emerging labour market, and Australia’s current, emerging and future skills and training needs and priorities.
The international education sector has already seen the impact of JSA in providing skills and workforce advice in relation to migration, with the Migration Strategy released by the Australian Government in December 2023 driven by the advice of JSA. And, as reported by The Koala News, the Government has commissioned a study through JSA to better analyse international student outcomes and pathways into the labour market.
In his announcement, Minister O’Connor said that “As JSA Commissioner, Professor Glover will be a trusted, independent source of expert advice on Australia’s current and future skills needs and lead JSA’s work on researching workforce trends, skills, and workforce needs”. Professor Glover’s background and experience in tertiary education will, hopefully, bode well for the education sector and particularly the international education sector.
Professor Glover’s bio
Professor Glover has been the Vice-Chancellor of WSU since 2014, announcing at the end of 2023 that he would not be seeking reappointment at the end of his current term in 2024. Professor Glover was also previously Vice-Chancellor of Charles Darwin University, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research at the University of Newcastle, and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research and Development at Curtin University. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in January 2019 for distinguished service to tertiary education, professional associations and cultural organisations.
JSA functions and the education sector
Other functions of JSA that impact the education sector include:
- Providing advice on:
- Australia’s current, emerging and future skills and training needs and priorities (including in relation to apprenticeships, VET and higher education)
- the adequacy of the Australian system for providing VET, including training outcomes
- pathways into VET and pathways between VET and higher education
- opportunities to remove barriers to achieving gender equality in the provision of training
- Undertaking studies, including on opportunities to improve employment, VET and higher education outcomes for cohorts of individuals that have historically experienced labour market disadvantage and exclusion
- Undertaking research and analysis on the resourcing and funding requirements for registered training organisations to deliver accessible quality VET courses
Image credit: Image sourced from Jobs and Skills Australia LinkedIn
