VET News

Out of Adversity Comes Opportunity ...

The saying that out of adversity comes opportunity is a perfect way to describe the future of the vocational education and training (VET) sector. 

The truth is OECD data shows that Australia’s skills supply is in a lamentable state, being the second highest skill shortage in the developed world. 

The National Skills Commission’s 2022 Skills Priority List recently revealed that over the past year, the number of occupations with skills shortages nearly doubled, underlining how big the task ahead is. 

We have a mismatch between what skills our economy needs and the skills we have provided to our people, which is why the vocational education and training sector has such an important role to play.

When nine out of 10 jobs over the next five years will require a post-school qualification, we need to ensure our VET sector is an attractive career pathway and accessible for all Australians, especially those locked out of the labour  market. 

We want to make sure that people get the skills they need to get a good, secure job no matter the barriers they face, be it people on limited incomes, First Nations Australians, people with a disability or women juggling caring responsibilities. 

Jobs and Skills Australia, which was the first piece of legislation introduced by the Albanese Government, has successfully passed the parliament and will play an important role in deepening the understanding of the key issues facing Australia’s labour market, providing strategic advice to government on delivering the skills needed for a productive workforce and strong economy. 

But all of this work relies on the need for education and training systems to attract and retain skilled educators.  Without educators, we can’t tackle the skills shortages we are seeing. Without them, we can’t ensure qualifications are more relevant to the jobs of today, and that people have skills that transfer between occupations. 

Read the full article in Velg Training's eZine magazine, Volume 19, here.

The Hon. Brendan O'Connor MP is the Minister for Skills and Training, a Cabinet position in the Albanese Labor Government.

Date posted Dec 8, 2022