The Australian Government is committed to supporting adults in Australia to increase their literacy, numeracy, digital literacy (LLND) and employability skills – known collectively as foundation skills.
Foundation skills are the competencies that underpin workforce participation, productivity, and social inclusion. They include English language, literacy, numeracy and digital (LLND) and employability skills. These are core “learning to learn” skills, necessary to provide people access to an education system from which follows opportunities to develop careers and engage in lifelong learning.
Increasing a person’s literacy and numeracy levels can have a direct and positive impact on their future economic and social wellbeing.
Skills for Education and Employment Program
The Australian Government is investing $436.4 million over four years to support the Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) Program. The SEE Program is an ongoing Australian Government program that delivers free language, literacy, numeracy and digital skills training to eligible Australians.
Training is available across Australia in metropolitan, regional and remote areas. It is delivered in two distinct and complementary streams:
- General SEE Delivery: training of individuals by contracted training providers. This stream has been redesigned to offer both accredited and non-accredited training, provide more support for learners and include workplace-based training options.
- SEE First Nations: a new stream dedicated to whole of community training to First Nations people. SEE First Nations grants will fund First Nations organisations including Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs), registered training organisations (RTOs), Adult Community Education (ACE) providers or peak bodies (applying on behalf of their eligible members) to design appropriate training to suit their needs.
National Skills Agreement
The National Skills Agreement (the Agreement) that commenced 1 January 2024, is a 5-year joint agreement between the Commonwealth, states and territories to strengthen the vocational education and training (VET) sector.
Through the National Skills Agreement, the Australian Government will partner with states and territories to support Australians who are facing foundation skills challenges to access the quality training they need to participate in further education and training, employment, and the broader community.
As part of the National Skills Agreement, all governments agreed to work together to develop a National Foundation Skills Strategy (Strategy).
Foundation Skills Advisory Group
The Government has established a Foundation Skills Advisory Group to ensure stakeholder views are properly understood and considered during development and redesign of Foundation Skills policy and programs and to support broader work to build the evidence base on levels of these foundation skills among Australian adults.
The Advisory Group brings together individual experts and representatives from a range of organisations, including foundation skills peak bodies, industry, employers, unions, First Nations people, and state and territory governments.
Government response to the House of Representatives inquiry into adult literacy and its importance
On 3 February 2021, the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training adopted an inquiry into adult literacy and its importance. On 22 March 2022, the committee released the final report of its inquiry, ‘Don’t take it as read’.
The Government’s response to the recommendations of the final report of the inquiry is available at:
