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On 10 February 2006, the Council of Australian Governments agreed to a national reform agenda and this skills strategy is designed to complement it by setting out Victoria’s action plan, and associated funding, to: increase young Victorians’ involvement in education and training; provide more opportunities for Victorians of all ages to upgrade their skills; introduce more flexibility and choice for students; match training priorities to business needs; and help people of all ages participate in the workforce. The aim is to ensure that: Victorians have better skills, and more of them, to better function in an economy increasingly driven by innovation; the state is able to meet the challenges of an ageing population in an environment where there could be skills shortages in some industry sectors, and is equipped to prosper in the face of increased global competition. The four actions guiding the strategy are: (1) ‘starting earlier’ by providing greater opportunities for students to participate in vocational education and training while at school; (2) ‘learning longer’ by encouraging new entrants, existing workers and adult learners to develop skills throughout working life, thus retaining workers to meet future skill needs; (3) ‘getting smarter’ by giving all Victorians access to opportunities to increase their skills levels; and (4) ‘making it easier’ by providing individuals and employers with easy access to information about training options, ensuring that the education and training system can respond to future skills needs in a timely and efficient way.