VET News

Solving The post-COVID Skills Gap and Jobs Challenge

Jobfind, TAFE Directors Australia (TDA) and Programmed have joined forces to  develop an innovative new way to Engage, Educate and Employ Australians.

For the first time, a national partnership of the TAFE network peak body, an employment services provider,  public education and training providers, and one of the largest national employers will collaborate in a structured way to provide job seekers with a skills and jobs pathway, to a career. 

A key finding of a study Jobfind commissioned from McCrindle Research in Oct 2020 on ‘Changing Times,  Emerging Trends’ highlighted that the jobs created after COVID-19 pandemic will mean many job seekers will  need to reskill or upskill, and young people will require support to meet their needs and aspirations. 

This new initiative will find and prepare unemployed Australians and reskill and upskill them before placing them into jobs. This will create a much-needed pipeline of job-ready workers, enhancing linkages between  employment services; the TAFE education and skills training national network; and national level employers.  

Craig Robertson, Chief Executive Officer at TDA, said "We are incredibly proud of the work TAFEs do collectively  as a national network. We are very pleased to be able to link TAFEs with key stakeholders and with industry to  develop programs to benefit Australians and employers of Australians. Programs that are in Australia’s national  interest. TDA and its member TAFEs are really excited about the opportunities and potential this new  partnership offers our students and our industry partners."

How it works:

• Engage: Our 20,000 job seekers and all TAFE students are all welcome to participate in the initiative.  Candidates will be identified, assessed, and screened based on the skills and attributes required by Programmed and candidates’ career goals. Job seekers assessed as not quite ready, will be referred for  basic employability skills training and other interventions (for example, literacy training, digital literacy or health services) before participating. 
• Educate: Jobfind and Programmed will work with individual TAFEs to identify locally in-demand skills,  skills mismatches, and future job opportunities, beginning with a pilot in Victoria. Skilling ‘packages’ will be run by TAFEs to fill Programmed’s jobs. These will range from bespoke short courses focusing on  specific skills or micro-credentials, to longer-term accredited training. Free TAFE courses will be accessed  and, where appropriate, training costs will be paid from the Australian Government’s Employment Fund. Where sufficiently suitable participants cannot be found Jobfind will help to source participants  from other providers. 
• Employ: Job seekers who successfully complete training will get preferential consideration by Programmed on offers. Additional training once in work, and post placement will be provided by Jobfind. This may include referrals to allied health professionals as required.

Click here to see the full media release from JobFind.

Date posted Aug 12, 2021