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In the early 2000s, skill challenges plus the changing nature and fragmentation of employment led the New South Wales Board of Vocational Education and Training (BVET) to commission the Future of Work project. The main report from this project, Beyond Flexibility (Buchanan et al. 2001), argued that we needed to rethink skills policy and integrate learning and employment better. Beyond Flexibility made many policy recommendations, including to trial a ‘work, skills and innovation initiative’ that explicitly targeted productivity and performance, skill development and the promotion of quality jobs. This subsequently became the skill ecosystem suite of projects. Four examples of initiatives which use ecosystem type concepts are discussed. These are: (1) Whole of government - an integrated Workforce Development Policy in South Australia; (2) Ecosystems in economic development - the Australian Stock Exchange; (3) Workforce development as a way of addressing social disadvantage in a regional context - Collaborative Initiatives in California; (4) Workforce innovation at an industry level in health – the Productivity Commission.