What's New in VET -
December
2009
Vocational
Education
and
Training
Developments
2008/2009
proved
to be a
year of
significant
developments
in the
area of
Vocational
Education
and
Training.
The
Council
of
Australian
Governments
(COAG)
continued
to focus
on the
issue of
skills
and
workforce
development.
The
economic
downturn
in South
Australia
had an
impact
on
employment
levels,
and by
extension
on
apprentices
and
trainees.
And as
outlined,
the
number
of
workers
currently
employed
under a
training
contract
has
reduced
slightly.
However,
there is
also
evidence
to
suggest
that
many
employers
are
looking
to
retain
these
workers.
Training
and
Skills
Commission
In an
interim
report
prepared
in June
2009 the
Training
and
Skills
Commission
(TaSC)
identified
three
key
strategies
to
increase
training
and
create
new
employment
opportunities.
These
are:
-
substantially
increasing
the
proportion
of
South
Australians
with
higher
level
qualifications;
-
broadening
and
deepening
our
skills
base
and;
-
significantly
improving
employment
participation.
The
report
also
looks at
the
challenges
presented
by
government
targets
for
education,
training
and
employment
participation.
It
provides
an
update
of the
workforce
modelling
done for
the
Economic
Development
Board's
2008
Review
of
Skills
and
Workforce
Development,
and
identifies
six
policy
issues
that the
Commission
will
focus on
as it
develops
the
November
version
of the
Plan.
Details
are at
...>
TaSC
Skills
for Jobs
Plan
The
November
Plan
will
focus on
the
priorities
for
publicly
funded
skills
and
workforce
development.
SA
Unions
convened
a
meeting
with
affiliated
unions
and
those
with an
interest
in this
area.
On 31
August
25
people
attended
to
discuss
issues
with
Raymond
Garrand
(CEO
DFEEST),
Gael
Fraser
(Director
TaSC),
Ian
Curry
(AMWU)
and
Jennifer
Duncan
(Youth
Affairs
Council
SA).
The
outcomes
of this
meeting
will
contribute
to the
Plan.
Training
and
Skills
Development
Act 2008
The
new Act
has now
been in
place
for 12
months.
One key
change
involved
having
disputes
pertaining
to
training
contracts
heard by
the SA
Industrial
Relations
Commission.
All
indications
are that
all but
a
handful
of cases
have
been
dealt
with
through
a
conciliation
conference
which is
convened
within 2
weeks of
lodgement
of a
dispute.
In the
cases
where
the
worker
has
sought
assistance
from the
Young
Workers
Legal
Service
satisfactory
monetary
settlements
have
been
reached.
A small
number
of cases
have
gone on
to the
next
stage
and have
involved
a formal
panel to
hear the
matter.
Another
key
change
was to
formally
recognise
Industry
Skills
Boards
and for
the new
Act to
have a
focus on
workforce
development.
This has
enabled
SA to
fit in
with
developments
nationally
whereby
the
current
emphasis
with
national
government
policy
is to
use a
workforce
development
strategy.
"A
workforce
development
approach
is
characterised
by
policies
and
practices
which
support
people
to
participate
effectively
in the
workforce
and to
develop
and
apply
skills
in a
workplace
context,
where
learning
translates
into
positive
outcomes
for
enterprises,
the
wider
community
and for
individuals
throughout
their
working
lives."
Details
are at
...>
Skills
Australia
:
Workforce
Futures
Overview
Recent
Initiatives
in
Vocational
Education
and
Training
1.
Manufacturing
Industry
Skills
Council
Advisory
Council
(MISAC)
-
Skills4Jobs and MySkills
The
'Skills4Jobs'
and 'MySkills'
sites
combine
to
create
an
innovative
skills-based
job
matching
system
that
'will
make a
difference',
according
to MISAC
Chair
Ian
Curry.
In
welcoming
the
guests
at the
launch
on 27
July
this
year,
Ian
stressed
the
importance
of
manufacturing
employers
ensuring
they
have the
appropriate
skills
in their
organisation
to be
ready
for an
upturn
in the
economy.
The
websites
were
developed
by MISAC
and
Manufacturing
Skills
Australia
(MSA),
with
funding
support
from the
South
Australian
Government
through
the SA
Works
Workforce
Development
Fund.
The
'Skills4Jobs'
website
allows
employers
to
register
a job
vacancy
with
specific
skill
requirements
- and
then be
supplied
with a
list of
available
candidates
suited
to the
job.
www.myskills.net.au
is
designed
to help
jobseekers
to keep
track of
their
skills
and also
can
generate
resumes
by
tracking
their
work
history,
skills
attained
and
contacts.
Skills
are
recorded
according
to units
of
competencies
(UOCs) -
which
facilitates
an easy
match to
job
vacancies
registered
on the
Skills4Jobs
website.
The site
is also
a useful
career
pathway
tool -
guiding
users
through
the
skills
most in
demand
across
the
manufacturing
industry
and
highlighting
qualifications
'within
reach'
which
could be
useful
in the
future.
Key
features
of the
sites
include:
-
a
fully
flexible
database
that
allows
easy
expansion;
-
an
advanced
interface
that
enables
full
editing
functions
for
job
specifications,
tasks
and
related
competencies
using
a
'drag
and
drop'
facility;
-
allowing
individuals
to
develop
their
own
'skills
passport'
of
competencies;
-
tracking
completion
of
units
of
competency
achieved,
and;
-
management
of
privacy
of
data
issues
and
secure
log-ins.
2.
The 10
Percent
Plan
The
SA
Government
is
working
with the
Commonwealth
to
employ
apprentices
and
trainees
to build
some
2000 new
homes
and up
to 520
school
buildings
under
various
economic
stimulus
initiatives.
Contractors
and
subcontractors
tendering
for SA
infrastructure
contracts
are
required
to show
that a
minimum
of 10
per cent
of the
project's
labour
hours
will be
undertaken
by
trainees
and
apprentices,
Indigenous
people
and
people
with
barriers
to
employment.
The
Department
of
Further
Education,
Employment,
Science
and
Technology
(DFEEST)
is
working
with the
Construction
Industry
Training
Board
and
Group
Training
Australia
(SA) to
develop
systems
that
will
help
employers
to meet
these
commitments.
The
Construction
Industry
Training
Board's
Ten
Percent
Plan
website
has a
reporting
tool
that
will
assist
contractors
and
subcontractors
to meet
their
commitments.
For
further
information,
visit...>
www.tenpercent.sa.gov.au
3.
Job
Ready
Register
Group
Training
Australia
(SA)'s
new
online
Job
Ready
Register
incorporates
an Out
of Trade
Register
which
provides
employers
with
details
of ready
to work
retrenched
apprentices
who are
seeking
to
recommence
their
apprenticeship
with a
new
employer.
This
initiative
also
links
participants
in South
Australia
Works
programmes
that are
related
to the
building
and
construction
industry
with
prospective
employers.
For
further
information,
visit
...>
www.gtasa.com.au
4.
Skills
for
Sustainability
Industry
Skills
Councils
have
been
working
on
updating
training
packages
and
qualifications
to
ensure a
focus on
environmental
sustainability.
In a
major
report,
ISC's
state:
Environmental
sustainability
requires
the
design
and
provision
of
products
and
services
that
incorporate
and
promote
waste
minimisation
and the
efficient
and
effective
use and
reuse of
resources.
The
overall
goal of
achieving
environmental
sustainability
incorporates
a wide
range of
practices.
These
include
personal
responsibility,
analysis
skills,
for
example
product
lifecycle
analysis,
transparency,
including
compliance
auditing
and
reporting,
conservation,
and
waste
management.
It
requires
a
climate
of
innovation,
collaboration
and
leadership.
Ultimately,
it must
support
the
deployment
of
technologies
and work
practices
and
build
Australia's
workforce
capacity
to
achieve
environmentally
sustainable
outcomes.
The
report
is
available
http://www.pagegangster.com/p/Al04O/
On 23
October
2009,
the
federal
Minister
for
Education,
Julia
Gillard
announced
that a
National
Green
Skills
Agreement
between
the
Commonwealth
and
States
and
Territories
has
proposed
to
update
training
packages,
set
national
standards
for
'green
skills'
teaching
and
assist
trainers
to
include
green
skills
in their
courses.
The
Agreement
will be
taken to
the
Ministerial
Council
on
Training,
Education
and
Employment
in
November,
and to
COAG in
December
2009.
Number
of South
Australians
in
Formal
VET
Training
Statistics
from
NCVER
for
March
quarter
2009
show the
number
of
people
in
formal
VET
training
on a
seasonally
adjusted
basis
for the
four
years
from
2005 to
2009.
| Category |
March 2009 |
March 2005 |
% change |
| |
|
|
|
| In training |
32,500 |
33,300 |
-2.4% |
| Commenced |
21,500 |
21,600 |
-0.5% |
| Completions |
11,100 |
9.100 |
+22% |
| Cancellations |
7,300 |
8.500 |
-14.1% |
These
statistics
are
collected
at a
point in
time so
a
comparison
of 2005
and 2009
has been
used to
get a
better
picture
of the
underlying
trends.
There
has been
a slight
decrease
in the
number
of
people
in
training
and the
completion
rate has
increased
significantly.
While
the
cancellation
rate has
substantially
reduced
it is
still a
cause
for
concern,
and
warrants
further
examination
to
develop
mechanisms
to
improve
the
training
experience
for
workers
and
employers.
VET in
the SA
Certificate
of
Education
(SACE)
The
SACE
Board is
continuing
to
consult
with
various
organisations
about
how to
provide
better
agreements
for
students
to
undertake
vocational
education
while
studying
at
secondary
school
and to
receive
recognition
for this
in
achieving
SACE.
SA
Unions
considers
that
this
initiative
has the
potential
to allow
for
greater
options
for
students
in
determining
their
future
work and
learning,
provided
the
following
requirements
are met:
- the
initiative
provides
a
structured
exposure
to
industry
and
a
pathway
for
school
students
into
employment
and
further
education
and
training,
using
school
based
traineeships/apprenticeships,
Industry
Pathway
Programmes
or
other
industry
endorsed
arrangements;
-
it
provides
relevant
skills
and
knowledge
to
prepare
young
people
for
work
recognising
that
these
are
not
necessarily
generic
and
do
vary
across
different
industries
and;
-
it
helps
develop
industry
specific
technical
skills
and
knowledge,
which
meets
current
industry
standards.
A VET
Partnership
Group
comprising
representatives
from a
range of
relevant
organisations
has been
established
to
facilitate
discussions
about
this
initiative.
Information
is
available
...>
on the
SACE
Bulletin
For more information contact Steve Lewis, VET Project Officer at SA Unions on 8279 2222 or email slewis@saunions.org.au
