Skills Minister Brendan O’Connor will seek to secure a new $3.7 billion, five-year agreement with states and territories to reform the vocational education sector, as part of a longer-term plan to address the country’s skills shortage crisis.
The new national skills agreement is the next stage in the federal government’s ambitions for the VET sector after it hatched a one-year deal for an extra 180,000 fee-free TAFE places at the jobs summit last week.
Skills Minister Brendan O’ConnorCredit:James Brickwood
O’Connor said he had in-principle agreement from his state and territory counterparts that the skills sector needed reform, and the federal government is prepared to provide $3.7 billion over a five-year period to secure the deal, which would start from January 1, 2024.
“That’s certainly the amount that we’re hoping to be able to provide … but it’s predicated on an agreement with the states and territories in order to ensure that we have the reforms so that it’s fit for purpose for students, current workers and the labour market,” O’Connor told ABC’s Insiders.
The $3.7 billion funding envelope is the same amount that was on the table under the Morrison government, which failed to secure a national skills deal after negotiations broke down with states and territories. In April, the Australian Financial Review reported skills ministers from Labor states accused then-federal minister Stuart Robert of “consistently and repeatedly” failing to respond to their concerns.
A meeting of the national cabinet last week agreed to six principles to underpin the skills negotiations, which endorsed the view that TAFE was “at the heart of the VET sector” and the new agreement should involve “upgrading TAFE facilities, prioritising wrap-around supports for priority groups, supporting a quality teaching workforce and strengthening collaboration with industry and unions”.
O’Connor also announced on Sunday that the VET system would be overhauled to make the qualifications system easier to navigate, saying significant overlapping of course material in the sector had resulted in students needing to undertake additional training that duplicates skills they’ve already gained.
There are currently 5000 units that have more than 70 per cent overlap with at least one other unit.
“Any reform in this important area will have regard to industry standards and their specific needs.”
With AAP
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