Still time to contribute to the Furnishing Apprenticeships Guidance Project

Work is underway to create best practice guidance materials for employers in the furnishing industry, to assist them in their role supporting apprentices and trainees. A draft Best Practice Guide Framework is available for feedback on the project webpage.  Your input is encouraged to help refine the structure, content and format of the guide so…

Final draft window furnishings and shade sails qualifications and units available for feedback 

To keep up with the evolving needs of industry, the Certificate III in Shading and Security Screens, four skill sets and 29 units of competency for installers and manufacturers are being revised in consultation with stakeholders. Final drafts are now available for comment as part of the consensus gathering stage of the project. Feedback at this…

Australia’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

The Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water is calling for stakeholders to have their say on the implementation plan for Australia’s Strategy for Nature. Consultation is open until 15 October 2025. The plan will guide how governments, communities, businesses and individuals can work together to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by…

Update on recent submissions (Oct 2025)

Skills Insight has recently contributed to several important national consultations, supporting the voices of our stakeholders to be heard in policy and decision-making. Submissions incorporate the relevant feedback you’ve shared with us and insights in our Workforce Plan. Productivity Commission inquiries As part of the Productivity Commission’s Five pillars of productivity inquiries, Skills Insight provided a formal submission…

Feedback sought on attraction and retention web resource

Attracting and retaining staff is a key priority for the industries Skills Insight supports, with a large proportion of the workforce in regional, rural and remote Australia. A web resource is being drafted to equip employers with tools to improve their attraction and retention strategies. It has been developed in consultation with the project working…

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Stakeholder Forum brings industry voices together

Our Stakeholder Forum recently met face-to-face to discuss Jobs and Skills Council work priorities. The Forum brings together a group of industry leaders who together represent more than 70 unique sub-sectors across agribusiness, fibre, furnishing, food, animal and environment care. The group discussed productivity, regional and remote priorities, and skills leadership to help guide Skills…

Thank you for providing input on Window Furnishings and Shade Sails Project

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the draft blinds, awnings, security screens and grilles qualification and units available for feedback from 25 June to 28 July, and again from 19 August to 19 September 2025. With your input, the qualification and units are being revised to improve their flexibility and relevance to the skill needs in…

Webinar registrations open for Furnishing Apprenticeships Guidance Project

Consultation is underway to develop best practice guidance materials for employers in the furnishing industry, to assist in their role supporting apprentices and trainees. A draft Best Practice Guide Framework is now available for feedback on the project webpage.  Your input is encouraged to help refine the structure, content and format of the guide so…

Have your say: draft agriculture job classification model

Skills Insight is working with industry stakeholders to strengthen the appeal of agriculture careers by mapping pathways across roles in the AHC Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management Training Package. Visible career pathways are vital for attracting and retaining workers. Research and consultation indicate that job titles, levels and pathways vary greatly across sub-sectors,…

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Skills Insight launches Workforce Plan 2025-2026

Skills Insight has released its Workforce Plan 2025–2026. The plan sets out a shared vision of workforce priorities and strategies to address key challenges and skill needs across the agribusiness, fibre, furnishing, food, animal and environment care industries. The Workforce Plan was formally launched by the Hon Andrew Giles MP, Minister for Skills and Training, at Skills Insight’s…

New Furnishing Apprenticeships Guidance Project underway

Supporting apprenticeship and traineeship completion rates is a priority for the furnishing industry, to promote a skilled and sustainable workforce.  Many employers in the industry are small businesses and experience barriers to providing the full range of support learners require.  To assist with this, Skills Insight and FurnishingWorks (a division of ForestWorks) are undertaking a…

Feeding Australia: A National Food Security Strategy

Australia’s food system is essential to Australian life, culture and the economy. It is dependent on a skilled workforce to keep it secure, resilient and productive. The Australian Government is developing Feeding Australia: A National Food Security Strategy, with aims to boost the productivity, resilience and security of our food system. For the industries we work with, this…

Consultation on Core Skills Occupations List (CSOL)

Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) is undertaking consultation on the 2025 Core Skills Occupations List (CSOL), which identifies occupations to be included under the employer-sponsored temporary ​Skills in Demand visa​ as part of the national ​migration strategy.​ Skills Insight has identified the occupations identified in the CSOL that relate to the industries we work with, which includes…

Feedback sought on additional units & skill sets for Window Furnishings & Shade Sails Project 

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the draft Certificate III in Blinds, Awnings, Security Screens, and Grilles, and relevant units of competency, between  25 June to 28 July 2025.  Your input indicated the need for further revisions and the need to develop additional documents, including:  As a result, another round of Broad Consultation is…