Federal, State and Territory Skills and Training Ministers met in Sydney on Friday last week to discuss Australia’s inaugural National Skills Plan and the draft Vocational Education and Training (VET) Workforce Blueprint, among other things. A summary of the Communique is provided below.
The current government is well known for its view that the public TAFE system is synonymous with quality. The one-and-a-half-page Communique leaves little doubt that TAFE continues to be its priority:
- The (National Skills) Plan will also reiterate that TAFEs are valued and trusted public institutions at the heart of our VET sector.
- They also discussed how the revised Standards will enable TAFEs to further develop their role as the trusted public provider at the heart of the VET sector.
- Central to this are TAFEs, our valued and trusted public institutions at the heart of the VET sector, complemented by a diverse range of high-quality registered training organisations.
- Ministers discussed the continued delivery of Fee-Free TAFE and TAFE Centres of Excellence.
Jobs and Skills Australia – 2024-25 Work Plan Development
The Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) draft Work Plan was presented to Ministers by the inaugural Commissioner of JSA, Professor Barney Glover AO. Ministers welcomed the prioritisation of better regional intelligence and the alignment of intelligence on skills and migration requirements.
The National Skills Plan
Ministers discussed the National Skills Plan, a deliverable under the National Skills Agreement to meet agreed national targets and deliver on national priorities. No specific outcomes are recorded from the meeting.
Quality Reforms
Ministers expressed a shared ambition to “lift quality and integrity across the entire sector, through a more flexible, robust, quality driven approach to regulation”. It was agreed that the revised Standards for Registered Training Organisations (SRTOs) will progress for public release in August, to come into full regulatory effect from 1 July 2025.
VET Workforce Blueprint
Skills Ministers agreed to progress the draft VET Workforce Blueprint for finalisation, which will identify actions to address VET workforce issues, such as attraction, retention, development and career progression, and succession planning. (This author is currently enrolled in the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and has many thoughts on this area!)
Fee-Free TAFE and TAFE Centres of Excellence were also discussed, as was the Australian Universities Accord, although no new information is included in the Communique.
