Celia Hammond (Curtin, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Braddon for moving this very important motion and I congratulate him for his advocacy for VET as a career pathway for young people in his electorate and more broadly. The member has raised a number of very important issues, but there are two aspects of his motion that I want focus on: the National Careers Institute and the National Skills Commission. I have said it before in this place, but it deserves repeating: Australia's capacity to grow, compete and thrive in an increasingly global economy is dependent upon employers and all individuals, regardless of their background or circumstances, being able to access and use the right skills at the right time. A strong VET sector, sitting alongside and hand in hand with a strong higher education sector, is critical to our economy and to helping prepare Australians for the workforce opportunities of today and the future.

We need our VET sector to be adaptable. We need an accessible, high-quality VET sector that is innovative, robust and responsive to industry needs and ever-emerging gaps. To be able to do that, we need excellent quality and timely research into our skills needs and our skills gaps and the best way of addressing them.

The National Careers Institute was established on 1 July 2019 as part of the 2019-20 federal budget Delivering Skills for Today and Tomorrow. The institute lays the foundation for the Australian government's commitment to strengthening and modernising the skills and career sectors and was a response to the independent Joyce review which examined ways to deliver skilled workers for a stronger economy.

The institute specifically focuses on a number of vital activities that are strengthening our VET sector. These are designed with the overarching principle of enabling all Australians to make more-informed career decisions at all stages of their lifelong learning.

The activities of the institute include research and stakeholder engagement. The institute is undertaking extensive research and stakeholder engagement on the state of the Australian and international careers sector. This allows the institute to map careers advice and services in Australia, with the aim of identifying gaps and overlaps. It's reviewing international best practice and it's also identifying governance models for career development agencies. To this end, the institute is consulting widely with governments, agencies and, most importantly, with industry, employers and education providers.

The second part of the activities of the institute is in relation to grants. The Australian government is setting up a $10 million competitive grant program to boost partnerships between industry, employers, schools and tertiary providers. Grants of up to $350,000 per year will support education providers, employment providers, industry and local government to work collaboratively to establish initiatives with a strong focus on filling and/or enhancing information and service gaps.

And, finally, the institute is also implementing the VET Information Strategy, which promotes VET as an equal-choice education option leading to successful careers. The strategy promotes a key message for the VET sector: real skills for real careers.

The second part of the motion which I wish to speak about directly is the National Skills Commission. This commission has been established to provide national leadership to the VET system. The commission will oversee the Australian government's investment in VET, and drive long-term improvements to the VET sector. It will undertake research and analysis of future skill needs across industry to ensure that government funding addresses national labour market priorities, including those arising from developing technologies. The commission's role and functions will be refined to ensure that the commission complements and enhances the VET system; improves coordination coherency and efficiency; and enables local and regional solutions.

There are over 1,600 people undertaking VET qualifications in my electorate of Curtin, and over four million nationally. It is therefore crucial that we have a strong VET sector that is responsive to the needs of people who are looking to upskill, to reskill or to adapt to changing times in a modern workplace. We are committed and excited about the future of VET in Australia. Our government has a clear plan for providing people with a strong foundation for their careers and for keeping our VET sector strong.

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