Supporting the voice of industry
We want to provide all industry stakeholders with an informed voice. We listen to all sectors of an industry – big and small. Only by interacting with all parts of Australia’s skills system will the Skills Insight be able to contribute to skills solutions for our industries that provide essential skills and services to our broader economy.
Training delivery challenges
Many of our stakeholders are in regional, rural and remote (RRR) Australia where accessibility to training and assessment may be limited. RTOs face challenges delivering training to certain sectors due to the cost involved in working in RRR Australia and with large or highly technical equipment or with animals or plants. One of the challenges we need to address is that the VET sector has been driven to operate only in areas where training delivery is financially viable and within limited risk parameters, rather than in areas of greatest industry need.
Formal training boosts industry growth, productivity and competitiveness and can support people to secure employment. It is important that people around the country can access Australia’s vocational training system, so their unique skills can be recognised and enhanced. We are dedicated to finding solutions, by working through challenges with industry, training providers and government, and then testing solutions.
Supporting essential skills
The industries we work with are responsible for caring for the wellbeing of our land and water bodies, wildlife, stock and pets, as well as the lifestyles and health of people. They possess many of the skills and knowledge required to support the sustainability of Australia’s delicate ecosystems. While there is significant innovation taking place in these sectors, there are also essential and practical skills that have been honed over many years. These industries are at the frontline of climate change impact and are key to its mitigation. There is the potential for these industries to contribute more to climate change solutions based on developing new skills and new ways of working.
Recognising the contributions of First Nations People
Australia’s land, water, and wildlife have been cared for by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for thousands of years. We want to support VET initiatives that encourage sustainable, culturally appropriate employment and business opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. As reported in the Baseline Study: Agricultural Capacity of the Indigenous Estate, “First Nations people have legal interests to greater than 57% of Australia’s land mass yet their participation in primary industries is minimal”. We hope to be able to contribute to the Government’s Closing the Gap program. We will do this by seeking to find solutions to skills and training challenges that impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and by ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are already a part of our industries have a voice in both our formal and informal networks. Through our work, we also aim to contribute to the skills required for culturally appropriate conservation, ecosystem management and productivity of Australian land and waters.