- Submission received
-
-
Q1: Are there other design considerations that could further strengthen Jobs and Skills Australia's ability to provide advice to government?
-
Response:
No response provided.
-
Q2: What principles could be used to guide Jobs and Skills Australia's priorities, and the development of its workplan?
-
Response:
No response provided.
Q3: How could Jobs and Skills Australia seek broader input into the development and refinement of its workplan?
-
Response:
MTC recommends that Jobs and Skills Australia shares a draft workplan with its various stakeholders and asks for input before its final release. This would help ensure that no key priorities are missed. We also recommend that Jobs and Skills Australia hosts a roundtable/forum after the draft is released to open up a collaborative feedback channel for stakeholders.
Q4: How could Jobs and Skills Australia engage tripartite partners, experts, and other interested parties in its major studies?
- Are the different needs of industry and learners effectively considered in designing qualifications in the current system? What works well and why?
- Are there issues or challenges with the way qualifications are currently designed? What are they and what could be done to address these?
-
Response:
When engaging in major studies, Jobs and Skills Australia could invite industry leaders to participate based on historical performance, market share and reputation in order to ensure that they are receiving input from parties with proven track records. JSA could also establish, via an Expression of Interest process, a committee of key representatives from different industries and areas, and a directory of stakeholders that includes their area of specialisation, i.e. employment services providers, Vocational Education and Training providers, industry bodies etc. This directory could enhance opportunities for collaboration between key stakeholders. It would also be pertinent for Jobs and Skills Australia to look to the international market and foreign experts to inform studies they undertake. For instance, the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) invites guests from countries experiencing similar challenges, such as Canada, to present at their conferences. As an ageing population, Canada is experiencing skills deficits and labour shortages across numerous industries in a similar manner to Australia, and in CEDA’s most recent conference on migration, they invited Lisa Lalande, the CEO of Century Initiative, to present to attendees. Century Initiative, a charity founded by and comprised of experts from the country’s business, academic and charitable sector, aims to increase Canada’s population to address these labour challenges. MTC believes that, in addition to leaning on the skills and experience of local labour market and industry experts, it would be worthwhile for Jobs and Skills Australia to engage with international experts when conducting major studies in order to evaluate whether successful initiatives conducted abroad are worth considering in Australia.
-
Q5: What new information should Jobs and Skills Australia be collecting through its engagement to build a stronger evidence base?
-
Response:
In order to build a stronger evidence base, in-depth analysis of ongoing needs in regions needs to take place. In particular, there needs to be determination of whether in demand/distressed industries are currently in need due to post-pandemic economic recovery, natural disaster recovery, or as a result of special projects. This will help establish short-term vs long-term needs and enable tailored solutions to be created.
-
Q6: How can Jobs and Skills Australia expand its engagement with a broader range of skills and industry stakeholders in its work?
-
Response:
No response provided.
-
Q7: What types of outreach could Jobs and Skills Australia use to increase visibility and use of its products and advice?
-
Response:
Jobs and Skills Australia should employ a range of mediums to communicate with and expand their audience, including: • Social media (e.g. LinkedIn) to broaden their reach and make the work of the independent body visible to not only key stakeholders, but the wider public. • Leveraging existing industry portals and implementing subscription email options through the Jobs and Skills Australia website. • Publishing general media releases to promote JSA’s work and keep the public informed.
-
Q8: How could Jobs and Skills Australia present its data and advice to aid stakeholders in informing their needs? What formats could better inform your work?
-
Response:
MTC has a range of suggestions pertaining to Jobs and Skills Australia’s presentation of data, including: • Segmenting data by Employment Region, rather than solely Statistical Area Level 4s (SA4s) and Local Government Areas (LGAs). This enables the data to be used effectively by employment services providers and other providers contracted by Employment Region (such as those delivering Skills for Education and Employment [SEE]). • The retention of downloadable raw data that was included on the Labour Market Insights website (under ‘Regions’ and ‘Data Downloads’). This data is very useful to MTC, as we’re able to deep-dive when required – for example, finding a Workforce Australia site with a high number of refugee job seekers who may be interested in participating in a SEE course and then, pending confirmation of demand for the course, discussing with the Department the option to open a new SEE or outreach site. • Monthly Labour Market Data Dashboards – we find that the data available on the JSA website is a great source of information per region, and believe it would be beneficial to also have more data available in the Department’s Interactive Dashboards. • The provision of annual reports showing trends by Employment Regions, cities, states and nationally, the uptake of key labour market needs in these areas and related economic performance. For example, the Australian Jobs 2021 report (ISSN 1832-7230) published by the National Skills Commission and the National Careers Institute was a great resource. • Continuing to provide regularly updated employment projections as displayed on Labour Market Information Portal and National Skills Commission websites, with data sliced by industry and Employment Region to ensure this information can accurately inform the strategies of employment services and education and training providers.
-
If you would like to add any further comments before submitting, please add them below.
-
Response:
No response provided.