Review of skills and workforce development in South Australia: the challenge for the next decade: final report

This report is the result of a review commissioned by the South Australian Economic Development Board in 2008. It was undertaken in response to concerns about the capacity and capability of South Australia's workforce to respond to substantial economic opportunities in South Australia. The review focussed on identifying issues the new Training and Skills Commission (TaSC) will need to pursue and on the implementation of reforms recently announced by the State Government - 'New ways, new engagement: a skills strategy for South Australia's future' (indexed at TD/LMR 86.65) and new training legislation 'Training and Skills Development Bill 2008'. The review found that an additional 133,000 workers will be required between 2008 and 2017-18 with another 206,000 workers needed to replace people leaving the workforce. Recommendations made by the review committee include: (i) shorter training times for apprenticeships and traineeships, supporting the Skills Strategy’s recommended recognition of prior learning (RPL) target comprise 20% of learning by 2012; (ii) support and accelerate the requirement to realign infrastructure assets and re-invest in ICT systems to better meet current skills needs; (iii) the Economic Development Board and the Social Inclusion Board be regularly briefed by the new Training and Skills Commission and the Minister, on the outlook for skills and workforce development; (iv) the SA Government, through the Department of Trade and Economic Development (DTED), should encourage employers to use employer-sponsored visas where there is clear evidence that local supply of particular skills is not available; (v) the proposed network of 17 State-funded Career Development Centres (and the new Commonwealth Skills and Training Information Centres) will play an important role in providing career information to help trainees make better choices and improve the efficiency of the labour market by filling information gaps; (vi) the development of a Certificate of Applied Learning as an alternative learning or earning pathway, to improve the transition for young people between school and work. The proposed certificate would offer students in Years 11 and 12 interested in vocational pathways an accredited option to undertake practical work-related learning, develop employability skills, including literacy and numeracy skills, and specifically prepare them to pursue higher level VET and employment.

This report is the result of a review commissioned by the South Australian Economic Development Board in 2008. It was undertaken in response to concerns about the capacity and capability of South Australia's workforce to respond to substantial economic opportunities in South Australia. The review focussed on identifying issues the new Training and Skills Commission (TaSC) will need to pursue and on the implementation of reforms recently announced by the State Government - 'New ways, new engagement: a skills strategy for South Australia's future' (indexed at TD/LMR ...  [+] Show more