IntoWork Australia

Response:

IntoWork recommends a range of design considerations to ensure Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) provides up-to-date, actionable and effective advice to government.

Firstly, it is crucial that the data and statistics provided to JSA are as current as possible. The body’s function, as with the previous National Skills Commission, will involve both forecasting and ‘nowcasting’. Data inputs must be not only viable for long-term analytics, but also in creating a live representation of the labour market landscape and short-term emergent trends. As an example, while the work conducted by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) is invaluable, it is often outdated for purposes beyond long-term market analysis. Rather than relying primarily on datasets like those produced by the NCVER, IntoWork would recommend JSA also seeks to encompass realtime inputs such as metrics collected from the Apprenticeships Data Management System (ADMS). ADMS is live and provides current data. Utilising it alongside other realtime data sources would ensure JSA is able to move rapidly and act beyond responding to long-term trends or projections.

A further key design consideration is the importance of users’ experiences in guiding research and as a corollary, determining future policy directions. In dealing with large sets of quantitative data and complex macroeconomic questions, it is understandably easy to lose touch with the most important aspect of the JSA’s work: the lives of people navigating Australia’s employment and training ecosystem. As such, we would recommend focusing on existing satisfaction surveys and creating new mechanisms to collect information on user satisfaction across all major user journeys in the employment and training space. It is important that these surveys also allow some open questions to enable the identification of pain points, beyond simply the expression of satisfied/dissatisfied users.

It is also crucial that JSA leverages stakeholders outside of the standard tripartite categories. While tripartism remains an important organising principle in fostering collaboration, it is also a nearly 100 years old as a concept. The trichotomy no longer adequately describes contemporary economies where non-governmental organisations have substantial influence and play a major cohesive role in connecting the original trio of stakeholders. Workforce Australia providers, training providers, disability services, Disability Employment Services, Group Training Organisations, and Australian Apprenticeship Support Network providers are critical elements of the ecosystem, yet do not fit well into the tripartite framework. These organisations have broad responsibilities and operate at the intersection of industry, labour (both organised and not), and government. They have access to hundreds of thousands of apprentices, jobseekers, and employers from all backgrounds and locations. 

These organisations also collect large amounts of data in government-approved formats and act independently. There is a valuable opportunity in design to bring these organisations into the fold, as they have easy access to both employees and industry en-masse. It would therefore be critical as a design consideration for JSA and its advisory body that these organisations are involved throughout as a matter of accurate representation of the Australian labour market.

As a final consideration, it is important that JSA takes a holistic view of tackling skills issues. Obviously, the issue at the forefront is shortages of skilled workers in some industries contrasted with gluts of qualified workers in others. However, addressing this mismatch overlaps with a range of other important policy areas. Workforce inequity, gender segregation in the workforce, rapid automation and the natural decline of some industries, and the need for decarbonisation are all affected by the work of JSA. It would be important as a policy consideration to seek to link JSA’s work to these broader issues through regular cross-departmental and sectoral collaboration, as well as their codification through priorities in the workplan.

Response:

1.	A user-driven, collaborative approach. JSA should be informed by the needs of current and potential users of Australia’s employment and training ecosystem. The experiences of people on the ground should complement quantitative and qualitative data. Furthermore, as a collaborative body, JSA should encourage partnerships between government, industry, and education providers to align skill development with labour market needs.

2.	Continuous improvement and realtime action.  JSA should be an adaptable organisation which undergoes continuous improvement to remain relevant and adequately prepare the workforce for changes in technology and the job market. It should be driven by realtime data collection for rapid response to emergent trends, as well as the progressive analysis of long-term trends for strategy. As an example, some apprenticeships take as many as four years for completion. Changes therefore need to be rapidly identified to enable Australia’s skills system to keep pace. Importantly, data should be consolidated and available transparently.

3.	Consistent inclusivity. Inclusivity must inform JSA’s priorities and the development of its workplan. Workplace equity issues such as gender representation issues in male-dominated industries, and increasing inclusivity of people living with a disability should be taken into account in planning. Inclusivity must be a touchstone.

4.	Diversity of stakeholders. The workplan should be driven by a diversity of perspectives from across the tripartite system as well as bodies and leaders from outside of it, such as the third sector and peak bodies.

5.	Transparent, measurable goals. A clear framework on short, medium, and long-term priorities for the inception of JSA should guide its progress, linked to current critical skills deficits. Goals for the body should be tangible and made public. Progress updates should be provided regularly both internally to the department and government and more broadly externally.

6.	Long-term action. There needs to be a willingness to tackle long-term, intractable issues such as the lack of harmonisation between states and territories regarding VET qualifications. This issue is one which JSA could play a major role in informing action upon due to its unique position as an independent federal entity. A key goal for the workplan could be to track progress toward standardising the system across states.

Response:

Broader input into the development of the workplan can be attained through the effective use of working groups across the labour market. This should also include working groups from across the service delivery sector. As aforementioned, service providers across the education & training sector as well as employment service providers occupy a unique position at the intersection of government, employers, and labour. The same approach regarding working groups should be taken to representation of employers, including employers representative of large and SME businesses as well as relevant peak bodies.  A further option may be to hold collaborative workshops with industry and education partners to jointly develops strategies and approaches to job and skill development. Active participation should be a guiding concept throughout the development of the workplan.

It is also recommended that JSA takes advantage of the nature of Australian Apprenticeship Support Network (AASN) providers and Group Training Organisations (GTOs) to directly survey all apprentices and trainees. AASNs and GTOs support Australia’s skilled workers and have direct access to them. Leveraging their unique position to seek direct input from apprentices, trainees and relevant employers would provide invaluable input and representation in the creation of the workplan.

Expert input should also be a key factor in the development and refinement of the workplan. It will be important to engage independent experts from relevant fields such as economics, education, and STEM to provide evidenced insights and recommendations based on the latest research. International best practice should be reviewed and incorporated wherever possible, so as to follow international success stories related to employment and skill development.

Finally, JSA should ensure there are built-in, periodic review capabilities within the model to ensure JSA remains relevant and is adaptable. The emergence of new industries, skills and support requirements combined with the potential for paradigmatic shifts (as shown by COVID) demand a culture of continuous improvement. Furthermore, with dynamic priorities such as improving gender representation across the workforce, there is a need to ensure that the JSA structure is adequately agile and representative of these needs.

Response:

Surveys and working groups are the most viable method of engaging a diverse range of voices. These may be arranged through the sub-committees envisaged as part of JSA, with their consolidated data being provided for the advisory committee for consideration. Leveraging peak bodies and intermediary organisations like WFA, AASNs and GTOs will also allow for the efficient engagement across the economy.

An invitation to participate should be provided to relevant stakeholders, with a mailing list used to keep them updated with the latest developments in major studies and reports. As outlined, workshops and roundtables are valuable tools to gain input on specific topics. As a further observation, it is recommended that that the Commissioner be required to provide feedback and a level of transparency as to the extent the advice provided by the advisory body is followed. 

Response:

JSA should collect information on emerging industry trends, both domestic and international to better forecast developments in training and employment needs. This does not necessarily simply entail quantitative data collection, but also collaboration with experts to provide prescriptive recommendations. An example of this would be looking in detail at how developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation are likely to affect the Australian labour market, with an increasing array of traditional white-collar jobs potentially under threat. The focus in addressing an issue like AI should not stop at assessing potential job losses or changes in the workforce, but also consider how Australia and its education sector can best adapt. For instance, how can skills packages adequately adjust to encompass these shifts in technology and industry best practice?

JSA should also be cognisant of the importance of migration and skilled workers when collecting data. Temporary visa workers have previously been a transient, hot button political discussion during times of crisis, but should be a long-term consideration for JSA in assessing the labour market. Ensuring workers coming to Australia are treated well and are not over-relied on is a major long-term issue in need of a strong bedrock of evidence for policymakers. JSA should seek to collect greater information about the impact of temporary migrant labour to better inform decisions and assist policymakers in avoiding reflexive, short-term decision-making on a strategic issue with a very real human component.

Further information should also be collected on the regionalised nature of many skills gaps. As an example, many areas in regional Australia lack engineers while 50% of Australia’s migrant engineering workforce remain unemployed or working in other sectors, per Settlement Services International (2022). This clear disconnect between regional and metropolitan areas in key skills areas needs further insight so industry, government and labour identify barriers to more effective allocation of skilled labour.
Additional innovations may be to collect employee perspectives, seeking to gather input from workers on their current skills, training needs and career aspirations to better understand their perspectives and needs. A comparison of overseas skills and employment approaches to determine best practice methods would be a further recommended input.

Response:

JSA can expand its engagement with stakeholders through a broad-ranging outreach effort including online tools, surveys, Teams workshops, and presentations. Leveraging peak bodies and major touch points for users such as AASNs will provide fast outreach to a wider range of stakeholders more efficiently. As an example, GTOs provide a valuable opportunity for deep engagement, as they represent 8% of directly employed apprentices and trainees. Furthermore, using existing bodies and feedback mechanisms will afford JSA’s engagement a greater level of trust and buy-in from all stakeholders.

It is worth noting, the Department also has its own strong presence across Australia in the form of staff such as Employment Facilitators and Entrepreneurship Facilitators. These teams generally consist of experienced locals well-known in the business community with deep networks across a range of sectors. These team members should be included as a key part of any engagement effort, as they have national coverage and are already strongly embedded in their communities. They may be utilised to better penetrate regional communities through ‘roadshows’ to highlight JSA’s work and establish feedback mechanisms for future major studies.

Response:

JSA should consider ‘active participation’ as the touchstone of its communication strategy. This means moving beyond passive feedback mechanisms through to creating those which make stakeholders feel a genuine part of the process rather than simply a data input. This could involve steps such as regular workshops in capital cities and online for regional and remote areas, as well as regular updates which clearly tie outcomes and recommendations to input provided by those consulted. By ensuring that participation from across the market is truly active, the need for outright marketing and communication about JSA’s role will be decreased.

In terms of the type of outreach, we would recommend a strong social media presence, utilising social media and digital platforms, such as LinkedIn and Facebook to promote JSA’s products, advice and engage with stakeholders. JSA should also host events and conferences to share its products and advice and engage with stakeholders. Regular media engagement where possible would also be valuable, engaging with traditional and online media outlets to increase visibility. Publications and reports will also inevitably be a strong method of increasing awareness, providing points of discussion for the policy debate. Podcasts focused by industry may be another valuable outlet to make JSA’s content more digestible and accessible to the public beyond a niche industry audience.

Dedicated roles could be developed for key priority areas. This could include the creation of roles for outreach based on regions and roles based on priority policy areas such as workforce equity for women, people living with a disability, and First Nations Australians – among others. The creation of dedicated outreach officers would ensure that communication with communities is deep and truly inclusive.

Response:

As mentioned, regular presentations online (monthly or quarterly) would be of use. They might be live and interactive or pre-recorded if necessary. Additionally, reports focused on priority areas such as workforce equity and inclusivity tracking progress are of value in assessing need.

A further potential innovation would be ensuring there is a central and regularly updated portal for information in the Labour Market Insights portal. Interactive dashboards and visualisations are also needed to present complex data sets in a method which is digestible without the use of additional software or high-level analysis. A further step would be to create infographics and data visualisations to convey important data to the public, potentially through press releases.

More accessible updates which are understandable by the layperson would no doubt increase the use and sharing of labour market data, as well as lessen reliance on intermediate interpreters for understanding. In the case of more detailed datasets, it would also be useful to ensure there is consistency on the forms of data available to the public. Previously, data collected on critical issues such as localised youth unemployment rates has been extremely hard to access and often inconsistent. Ensuring that information is available in as localised a form as possible will assist organisations in identifying and responding to need, as well as assisting the JSA in planning. Ideally, labour market information should be made available as soon as possible rather than on a delayed basis.

Response:

A consistent theme throughout the comments provided is the importance of ensuring that JSA’s advisory function utilises the reach of intermediary organisations which do not fit cleanly into the ‘tripartite’ framework. As a final comment, it is worth outlining the nature of IntoWork as one of those organisations and the reach/knowledge they can provide.

IntoWork is a leading national not for profit provider of employment, skills & education, and support services that enable educational, economic and social participation. Established 40 years ago, IntoWork has grown to become a national Group of Businesses that delivers a range of services across five core areas - Apprenticeships and Traineeships, Education, Training and Development, Employment and Recruitment, Transition and Career Advice, and Community Support Programs.

With more than 1600 staff in over 150 locations, and quality service delivery partners, IntoWork has a presence in every state and territory. AGA, CTC, DGT, FindStaff, HTN, Interact Australia, IntoJobs, iTFE, Kestrel Recruitment, Mas National, MRAEL, Stockdale, and Work & Training, are all part of the IntoWork Australia Group.

Put into data, IntoWork’s Group organisations:

•	Directly employ and manage over 2500 apprentices & trainees, and supporting over 63,500 apprentices & trainees who are in training
•	Support candidates for employment as the largest new Workforce Australia Provider
•	Engage with over 60,000 employers nationally through all programs
•	Support over 1,800 people living with a disability into employment (DES), and over 500 people living with a disability through core community-based supports (NDIS).
•	Engage annually with hundreds of Secondary Schools nationally through Career Advisors, and Employment Consultants
•	Deliver various initiatives focused on employment pathways for women including:
o	Gateway Career Advice through the Women In Non Traditional Trades initiative
o	Women In Trades (trade taster – pre-employment) Program, introducing participants to four separate trade areas, with pathways to placements and apprenticeships
o	Regional Women in Trades Program delivered specifically around a trade pathway
o	Women in Solar program designed to encourage female participation in the growing solar industry
o	Education Support program where women gain a qualification while working supporting students with educational support needs within the classroom
o	NCIS Pathways to employment initiative in Western Sydney for migrant women
•	Support thousands of marginalised and disadvantaged young people into training and employment through innovative local and state based initiatives.
•	Train over 25,000 people each year through Certificate and Diploma courses nationally (RTO)
•	Operate a Year 11 & 12 Trade Training College, 9 Trade Training Centres and 7 other General Training facilities all focused on employment outcomes.

 
These figures illustrate the great potential for organisations like IntoWork to contribute significantly to advising JSA. Intermediary organisations work across the tripartite system and have comprehensive vision. IntoWork, for example, has the strategic position to not only understand greater macroeconomic challenges but also consistently works on a day-to-day basis with the labour force and industry on the ground. 

We bring a combination of cross-sectoral awareness and deep experience which provides actionable knowledge at almost every level of the economy. Organisations of this form can highlight the day-to-day barriers facing apprentices and employers in a remote community, while simultaneously providing vast datasets representative of a national labour force. This extensive reach and willingness to collaborate on major issues, like gender inequity and skills shortages, make organisations like IntoWork a valuable potential partner for JSA.