qldwater

Submission received

Q1: Are there other design considerations that could further strengthen Jobs and Skills Australia's ability to provide advice to government?

Response:

Ensure that all the relevant government departments (State and Federal levels) are not siloed but are able to have input to the process of formulating intelligence that leads to the advice given, but that the advice from all Departments is through that Skills and Labour lens and perspective.

Also not from the respect of the provision of advice necessarily, but to try to make sure mechanisms will be in place to ensure the advice of JSA is heeded and acted upon. Also that States and Territories heed and follow what flows down from the Federal Level, would be the design elements that go some way to ensuring that advice turns into actions.

Q2: What principles could be used to guide Jobs and Skills Australia's priorities, and the development of its workplan?

Response:

A founding principle, in recognising priorities, should be that it is not simply enough to collect the data and gather the numbers, but to also understand the context of the sector that the particular dataset comes from. 

Whilst data and the numbers alone might tell you that there is both limited supply and demand (a thin market, as it would for the water sector), the context tells you that the levels on the ground have reached a critical point and that action still needs to be taken as a priority.

The principle should be to both gather accurate information, and to fully understand the context in which it sits and respond or advise appropriately. The workplan then needs to reflect that context and the urgency for that specific sector and provide the appropriate route map and support toward a solution for the issues identified.

It would also be good to not only see a workplan that speaks to addressing immediate and emerging needs, but also looks at the wider picture of a sector and seeks to address some of those longer term, systemic needs, such as those experienced in the water sector – for example that of invisibility of the opportunities in that career field.

Q3: How could Jobs and Skills Australia seek broader input into the development and refinement of its workplan?

Response:

No response provided.

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:

Not a thought on how to engage as such, but more one to ensure that there is sufficient time for engagement, without bogging the process down. Many of the engagement pieces I have seen have relatively tight timeframes, which can serve to undermine the engagement process in the responses that can be formulated and also therefore parties’ willingness to participate.

Q5: What new information should Jobs and Skills Australia be collecting through its engagement to build a stronger evidence base?

Response:

The discussion paper mentions developing a deeper evidence base around the impact of insecure work through analysis of the characteristics and labour market experiences of Australians. This should not just apply to Australians but encompass all skilled migrant workers passing through the visa systems, so that their experiences are also captured. This will help to inform how to improve migrant worker experience and therefore attraction of that workforce for the future.

Skilled migrant worker experiences and outcomes should also not just be limited to “insecure work”, but also capturing the Governmental impacts that make the skilled migrant journey itself “insecure” or less secure. 

Visa processing times and the impact on the ability to purchase property, secure education placements, receive appropriate Government support (whilst paying Australian taxes!) and integrate into communities and so on, all have significant impacts on attraction and retention of skilled migrant workforces. 
There would undoubtedly be learnings for Government in that space if the processes were part of the information gathering exercise.

Q6: How can Jobs and Skills Australia expand its engagement with a broader range of skills and industry stakeholders in its work?

Response:

Presence on the ground is key, so that these stakeholders actually have access to the JSA entity through its people. Relationships are the way to deepen and strengthen engagement.

Q7: What types of outreach could Jobs and Skills Australia use to increase visibility and use of its products and advice?

Response:

Social media has to be front and centre in this area, as well as looking at emerging spaces or platforms where content is sourced by consumers. 

Recognition that people consume and access content in changing ways will be key and not just relying on people to purely subscribe to email updates for instance. Innovative ways to engage will need to be employed, whether as part of a wider campaign or as individual elements of outreach.

Look for opportunities to advertise in ways and in spaces that are innovative and reflect the audience you are trying to reach. Engage with Industry Forums, Chambers of Commerce and other stakeholder groups, on a personal, face to face level.

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:

Design a tool that allows for flexibility in sourcing and sorting the data as far as is possible. NCVER’s Databuilder is a good example for VET data, which allows users to build their own data sets. Enable data to also be really drilled into to afford both the macro and micro perspectives.

If you would like to add any further comments before submitting, please add them below.

Response:

No response provided.