Jul 29, 2024
Welcome to the July edition of our newsletter
In this month’s newsletter
- Launch of 2024 Workforce Plans
- Skills and Training Minister Brendan O’Connor leaves portfolio ‘in good nick’
- Project Updates and New Projects
- Updating ANZSCO: The Australian And New Zealand Standard Classification Of Occupations
- Feedback Needed: Improving crane licensing under the Model Work Health and Safety Laws
- Have your say in refreshing the National Code of Good Practice for Australian Apprenticeships
Launch of 2024 Workforce Plans
ISA is proud to announce the launch of our national Workforce Plan for each of our four key industries, Transport and Logistics, Rail, Aviation, and Maritime. These plans are central to our role as a Jobs and Skills Council, and critical to our goal of building a world class supply chain workforce.
The Plans set out the workforce development challenges and opportunities facing each industry. They serve as a roadmap for the future by identifying what industry, the national skills system and governments need to do to build an agile, highly productive and resilient workforce.
Our industries are rapidly evolving in response to digital transformation and automation, Australia’s shift to net zero, and the need to build Australia’s supply chain resilience. Compounded by skilled labour shortages and the increasing costs of doing business, these converging factors are redefining business models, job roles and skills.
We’ve purposely prepared a separate Workforce Plan for each industry to optimise their relevance to stakeholders, and to ensure that they are short in length and sharp in focus. The Plans are the result of significant stakeholder engagement, combined with qualitative and quantitative research, and guided by the direction and leadership of each industry’s Strategic Workforce Planning Committee.
Each Plan includes proposed forward-thinking actions to address some of the key industry workforce development challenges identified as a priority. Some of these initiatives have recently been approved by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.
The Workforce Plans also detail future research and consultation activities which will help inform and scope more work ISA will take forward to address current and emerging skills requirements and workforce challenges.
ISA would like to give a very big thank you to all stakeholders who have given their time and shared their insights throughout the consultation and validation process.
Skills and Training Minister Brendan O’Connor leaves portfolio ‘in good nick’
ISA extends a very warm thank-you to the Hon. Brendan O’Connor for his strong and unwavering commitment to skills and training and his leadership in establishing the Jobs and Skills Councils (JSC) to find solutions to skills and workforce challenges.
The JSCs provide industry with a stronger voice to ensure Australia’s vocational education and training (VET) sector delivers better outcomes for learners and employers.
Announcing his retirement, Brendan O’Connor said “I am very pleased that I am leaving a portfolio in pretty good nick for the successor.”
While Brendan will remain in parliament until the next election, ISA takes this opportunity to wish him all the best for the future.
ISA looks forward to working with the Hon. Andrew Giles who was announced yesterday as the new Minister for Skills and Training.
Project Updates
Chain of Responsibility training products endorsed
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) administers and monitors compliance with the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) and its regulations. In addition to the compliance function, NHVR also provides education and information to the heavy vehicle industry and manages a number of schemes designed to improve safety.
To ensure compliance with Chain of Responsibility requirements under the HVNL or applicable state/territory law and regulations, various aspects need to be reflected in relevant TLI Transport and Logistics Training Package products.
ISA has completed a project to update the two Chain of Responsibility units of competency and 11 qualifications to ensure they align with current regulatory requirements. A Technical Committee of subject matter experts reviewed the units of competency to incorporate Chain of Responsibility responsibilities for specific job functions, and current industry terminology.
Skills Ministers endorsed the changes to the TLI Transport and Logistics Training Package products on 3 July 2024.
What does this mean for industry?
The revision focused on principal obligations that will better enable businesses and their executives to apply the HVNL law to their own circumstances and direct them to tools and resources that will assist them to discharge their respective duties. Personnel within the transport and logistics industry play a crucial role in ensuring that companies operate within legal and regulatory frameworks. The two updated Units of Competency cover the skills and knowledge required by industry to ensure the safety of transport activities. This includes identifying and applying Chain of Responsibility obligations to operate legally in compliance with the HVNL, impacting multiple job roles across the transport industry.
This now provides industry with a training framework compliant with Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL).
The endorsed Training Package materials are now available on training.gov.au.
New Projects
The following projects have commenced, after approval by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. You can find more information about these and other projects on our website.
Industry Skills Australia as the Jobs and Skills Council for Transport and Logistics have been asked to undertake two projects to trial the purpose-led model approach to qualification reform. The first is a demonstration project to show how a qualification could be formed using the new approach. The second project aims to categorise 42 of our qualifications into one of three purposes.
As part of testing the VET Qualification Reform model, Industry Skills Australia is developing a demonstration qualification at that would support worker mobility and transferability of skills across different transport occupations in road transport, logistics, ports, aviation, maritime, and rail.
The focus of the project will be:
- how core and specialist units might be packaged in the qualification to achieve the intended outcome
- what implementation guidance can be provided in a companion volume to support common units being delivered for application in multiple workplace contexts
- how foundation, digital and employability skills might be addressed.
The demonstration project will test a new qualification design to address the new purpose-led model and Qualification Development Quality Principles. The demonstration project report will include recommendations to update the existing training product templates (for example the Unit of Competency template) and indicate any considerations to amend the current system where it presents a limitation in developing the new model.
To find out more about these activities, please register for our upcoming webinar on 6 August 2024 covering the proposed VET Qualification Reform model.
Webinar Highlights:
- Qualification Reform: Understand the proposed model and the importance of your feedback in its future development.
- Purpose-Driven Approach: Learn about how qualifications can be categorised and what that categorisation means to you.
- Demonstration Project: Explore how a new qualification will be trialled to support mobility and transferability of skills across different occupations and contexts.
Event Details:
- Date: 6 August 2024
- Time: 2:00pm – 3:00pm AEST
- Platform: Microsoft Teams Webinar
Your participation is crucial in shaping the future of vocational education and training in Australia. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of this major reform process.
The growing importance and rapid growth of omnichannel logistics in Australia requires a skilled, agile workforce with transferrable skills.
This project aims to shape the future of the transport and logistics industry by identifying the core skills and knowledge required for key roles impacted by omnichannel logistics. It will also identify emerging skill requirements, determine where skills gaps exist, and highlight areas where training product development may be required.
The Australian space sector is poised for rapid growth by the end of this decade promising not only economic opportunities but also technological advancements. It is projected that the industry will create an additional 20,000 jobs with an industry value of $12 billion by 2030. The key to industry growth is the availability of a reliable pipeline of skilled workers. There is already a significant skills shortage in the sector.
This project will focus particularly on the skills requirements for roles and skills associated with Space Transport and Logistics, and the capability of the vocational sector to deliver them. The project may also lead to the creation of new training products.
Industry Skills Australia (ISA) has commenced this project to review and update the Diploma of Aviation (Flight Instructor) to help address the current shortage of flight instructors that is having a knock-on effect on new pilot numbers.
The Aviation Industry 2024 Workforce Plan recognises that the flight training industry faces significant challenges due to a shortage of instructors and trainers, particularly experienced staff such as senior instructors and flight examiners.
In response, following consultation with key industry stakeholders, ISA and its Aviation Strategic Workforce Planning Committee initiated this project to enhance the industry recognition and usability of the qualification.
The project will review and update the qualification to include current industry practices and better align it with Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) licensing requirements. Closer alignment with the CASA’s licencing, standards, and resources will enable consistency in training outcomes and reduce costs for learners.
This project will enable greater access to training and a learning pathway for furniture removal workers to gain accredited qualifications with skills that are highly transferable to a range of vocations across Supply Chain sectors.
The Certificate II and III Furniture Removal qualifications are proposed for deletion, whist the Units of Competency applicable to furniture removal will be updated to include current industry practices and integrated into Supply Chain Operations and Driving Operations qualifications.
The creation of flexible and formal pathways provides employers with improved accredited training options to skill their workforce and assist attraction, skilling and retention strategies. This will also increase access to a greater range of RTOs for training delivery.
ISA has launched this project to explore digital skills requirements for various aspects of rail operations such as signalling, safety critical communications, asset management, track maintenance, cyber security, and autonomous and remote systems.
Five Working Groups of rail subject matter experts will develop a Digital Occupational Profile (DOP) to define and categorise industry skills for five critical rail occupations using the Australian Digital Capability Framework. This initiative aims to standardise skill descriptions for improved transferability across the industry and will identify and prioritise any updates that may be required to training package products.
Australia’s rail networks have developed independently across different jurisdictions, resulting in a lack of national interoperability. This challenge is compounded by inconsistent approaches to training and assessment, impacting competency recognition and worker mobility across rail networks.
ISA will develop a quality framework that prescribes industry’s minimum expectations for design and delivery of training and assessment. This will support Rail Infrastructure Managers and Rail Operators to have confidence in mutually recognising competence acquired and/or assessed in other jurisdictions, networks or domains.
Updating ANZSCO: The Australian And New Zealand Standard Classification Of Occupations
The ABS is undertaking a comprehensive review of the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) to reflect the contemporary labour market and better meet stakeholders’ needs.
ANZSCO describes all occupations in the Australian and New Zealand labour markets and is used to inform and shape educational pathways, skilled migration programs and workforce strategies that equip Australians with skills to get jobs and stay employed.
Public consultation rounds were held across 2023 and 2024 with each round targeting selected occupations grouped by focus area. Preliminary Proposed Changes from consultation rounds 1-3 of the comprehensive review of ANZSCO are now available on the ABS Consultation Hub for information. This concludes the occupational-level consultation for the 2024 update. The ABS seeks further input into occupation changes in 2025 as part of its ongoing maintenance of the classification.
A final round of consultation will allow users to provide feedback on the full set of proposed structural changes, including the placement of new occupations within the classification.
Provide your feedback through the ABS Consultation Hub by Friday, 6 September 2024.
Feedback Needed: Improving crane licensing under the Model Work Health and Safety Laws
Safe Work Australia is seeking feedback on six proposals to improve the high-risk work licensing framework for cranes.
The proposals include new licences, new experience requirements for crane operators, refinements to existing licences, and changes to the overall structure of crane licensing. Feedback can be provided through Safe Work Australia’s online Consultation Hub or via email.
Information and evidence gathered as part of this public consultation will be used to inform improvements to the high-risk work licensing framework for cranes in the model WHS laws, noting that some of the proposals included in this paper may be subject to further analysis, including the potential costs and benefits.
Proposals included in the discussion paper and on the Consultation Hub are offered for consultation purposes only. They are subject to change in response to further evidence, policy analysis, and feedback from consultation processes. Ultimately, any regulatory changes are subject to agreement by Safe Work Australia Members and, where significant, WHS ministers.
Submissions are welcome from all stakeholders interested in the high-risk work licensing framework for cranes. We encourage businesses operating, supplying or manufacturing cranes, unions, workers, regulators, industry bodies, government departments, training providers and members of the public to provide their views.
Submissions are also encouraged from those involved in other high-risk work related to crane operations, particularly dogging and rigging work.
The consultation is now open, and submissions can be made online through Safe Work Australia’s Consultation Hub until 11:59 pm (AEST) on Wednesday, 31 July 2024.
Have your say in refreshing the National Code of Good Practice for Australian Apprenticeships
The National Code of Good Practice for Australian Apprenticeships is designed to assist employers, apprentices and trainees understand each other's roles and responsibilities within an apprenticeship or traineeship.
The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations is seeking responses via an online survey to refresh the National Code to ensure understanding of roles and responsibilities is clear, and to support a quality apprenticeship and traineeship experience.
The National Code is provided to all employers, apprentices and trainees by their Apprentice Connect Australia Provider when they sign up to an apprenticeship or traineeship. You can find the code on the Australian Apprenticeships website.
The department is also seeking advice on the kinds of guidance and resources that help employers, apprentices and trainees work well together. Successful working relationships between employers and apprentices are critical to supporting better retention and stronger completion outcomes, as well as creating safe and inclusive workplaces.
You are invited to answer the survey, which should take less than 15 minutes to complete. The survey closes on 31 July 2024.