Universities, TAFEs and industry draw a blueprint for job success

Educators, governments and industry must give Australians the right training and skills for the post-pandemic job market.

Expanding the range of courses suited to students while equipping them for a job market disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic will be vital for the future workforce, according to a new education and training strategy.

Skills for Tomorrow, styled as “a practical shared vision for education and employment post-pandemic”, is a joint effort from the Australian Technology Network of universities, TAFE Directors Australia, the Australian Industry Group and business strategy group AlphaBeta.

It responds to the new economic climate characterised by “higher unemployment, accelerated digitisation and a shift towards growth industries, such as health, technology and advanced manufacturing”.

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It also recommends funding and accreditation approaches that “allow modern, innovative and high-quality learning models” and says consideration should be given to establishing individual skills “accounts” and “passports”. These would “allow workers to undertake training throughout their lifetime through financial support to re-skill or upskill via relevant micro-credentials and courses”.

The emphasis should be on creating high-value jobs and industries supported by innovative education and training models and on equipping the current and future workforce with skills and confidence through, for example, work-integrated learning.

“We know that collaboration and flexibility in an integrated skills system will be vital to making the most of the opportunities Australia has,” ATN executive director Luke Sheehy said.

TDA chief executive Craig Robertson said Australians wanted “to see there is a path of economic recovery where they can see a role for themselves”.