The majority of Annual Updates for IRC Skills Forecasts have now been submitted to the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC).
The AISC will use the information in the Annual Updates to update their National Schedule of training package development projects.
The Annual Updates propose several projects to improve industry qualifications and skills standards between 2020-2021. They also include information about employers’ use of training packages and qualifications, barriers to hiring apprentices and trainees, and reasons behind non-completion rates. They also look at alternative training being delivered, some of which draws on the training package, but is not delivered by registered training organisations.
Thank you to everybody that has provided input and feedback, for volunteering your time and expertise to support the improvement and development of industry skills standards.
Submitted to the AISC:
- Animal Care and Management
- Aquaculture and Wild Catch
- Food, Beverage and Pharmaceutical
- Meat
- Racing and Breeding
Being finalised for submission in the next fortnight:
- Agriculture, Horticulture, Conservation and Land Management
- Pulp & Paper Manufacturing
- Forestry and Timber
Key themes to emerge
A key theme to emerge across the Annual Updates was the recognition of the immense impact that fires, droughts, floods and climate change are having, resulting in an increased workload which leads to less capacity to take part in training. The cost, complexity and challenges associated with training delivery in regional, rural and remote Australia also remains a major issue, and a lack of delivery against any specific group of units or qualifications should not always be seen as a signal that these units or qualifications are unwanted and should be deleted.
Industry are also requesting a greater focus on apprenticeships and traineeships, recognising that proficiency is a journey which develops over time. Currently, less than 10% of formal VET takes place within apprenticeships and traineeships. The IRCs have also expressed support for expanding the work of NCVER to provide the evidence to support the work of the AISC and IRCs, in particular data relating to the experiences and choices of learners.
The Annual Updates to the Skills Forecast do not include detailed responses to the COVID-19 situation, which are being provided separately to the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC) and the Department of Education, Skills and Employment on a continuing basis. The materials in the Annual Updates were researched and written during 2019 and early 2020, which only includes the early stages of the response to the outbreak of COVID-19.