29 Mar 2022
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Smart and Skilled: Add a Qualification to the NSW Skills List

The NSW Department of Education is inviting industry to add qualifications to the NSW Skills List for Smart and Skilled Funding by 5pm Friday 8th April 2022. The Skills List identifies the vocational education and training (VET) qualifications eligible for a government subsidy under Smart and Skilled. The purpose of this process is to ensure the NSW Government’s Smart and Skilled program is helping to meet the skills needs of NSW.

The Application needs to be submitted via the online survey, please click here.

For a qualification to be added to the NSW Skills List, applicants should present evidence of:

  • industry demand (for example, occupational licence requirements, quantifiable evidence of industry need, confirmed occupational/sector employment growth and job opportunities, shortages due to a lack of trained workers)
  • improved post-training outcomes for students (for example, quantitative evidence of good employment outcomes, how the qualification improves career prospects and/or how the qualification provides a pathway to further study).
  • is required to gain entry level employment in an occupation or industry
  • supports business development, jobs growth or enhances community wellbeing in a specific NSW region/town
  • supports setting up and/or sustaining small business
  • supports disadvantaged/equity groups
  • is central to successfully implement a specific government strategy, policy or program.

In assessing applications, the Department will also consider available data on all applied qualifications, such as training package information and National Centre for Vocational Education Research total VET activity data. From that analysis, the Department may reject a qualification if there is:

  • a lack of evidence showing industry demand
  • a similar qualification on the Skills List
  • evidence that the qualification does not deliver good student outcomes
  • no/very low take-up (excluding qualifications for niche occupations critical to industry)

For this application round, the impact of COVID-19 may also be considered in the Department’s assessment process.

Your application will be assessed by a panel with extensive experience in VET. The panel will review the evidence and recommend to the Minister for Skills and Training which qualifications should be added to the Skills List.

Please get in touch with AFAM ITAB to discuss meeting the skills needs of your industry and assistance in applying for the NSW Skills List.