Last week, several Skills Impact staff attending the very well run virtual conference ‘No Frills’ by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). There were many interesting presentations, including by Key Note Speakers Senator The Hon Michaelia Cash, Adam Boyton, National Skills Commissioner; Tracey Horton AO Chair of the Australian Industry and Skills Committee. A key theme was the need for VET to respond to the COVID-19 economic crisis, with Michaelia Cash stating “We now have a shared opportunity to fix systemic problems and to realise gains as a matter of urgency to get more people back into work”.

Skills Impact CEO, Michael Hartman and Research Manager Dr Niall Smith presented at the NCVER ‘No Frills’ Conference. Their presentation looked at the role of RTOs and industry in supporting a learner’s journey to competency. They unpacked some common challenges facing the industries, training providers and other stakeholders we work with, and offered potential solutions based on our work with VET system stakeholders over the past five years. They also revealed some of the preliminary results out of the national VET System Improvement Survey Skills Impact is conducting alongside Griffith University.