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The is the sixth innovation report since the announcement of 'Backing Australia's ability', the Australian government's five year innovation statement. It provides an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of Australian government departments and agencies against the themes of 'Backing Australia's ability', along with their progress in addressing broader national goals through their implementation of the National Research Priorities. The report additionally presents the findings of the third Australian Innovation Scorecard, comparing Australia's innovation performance to that of other countries in the OECD. It thus provides a broader global context for Australia's innovation activities and a means of tracking the nation's progress in an increasingly competitive global economy. Finally, the report outlines the important role that key institutions and strategic planning processes are playing in informing the future of Australian science and innovation and ensuring that Australia remains well-placed to benefit from its investments in the future.

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The aim of this report is to help industry, government policy makers and training providers better understand the drivers of skill needs in the agrifood industry and identify the options for meeting those needs. This report provides the findings of a high level review of the skills and workforce issues confronting the agrifood industry and its five industry sectors: food processing, meat, seafood, racing, and rural and related industries. The key drivers of skills needs for the agrifood industry are: development of the regions; worker attraction and retention; demographic change and employment arrangements; consumer and customer service demands; competitiveness and productivity demands; business compliance; innovation; and globalisation. The relationship between these drivers and skill requirements are analysed and conclusions are developed on how changing drivers may impact on the skills base. Participation, attainment and expenditure trends in vocational and technical education are also discussed. Strategies addressing a broad range of issues driving current and future skills and workforce needs, with a focus on the role of training are recommended. Some of these strategies include: utilising existing industry champions to promote the agrifood industry as a preferred career choice for people in regional and urban areas; the provision of incentives such as higher remuneration, better working conditions and flexible arrangments to encourage older and experienced workers to remain on the job longer; developing skills in international business management; creating partnerships with government, industry and communities to strategically invest in infrastructure development; education of the industry on the challenges and opportunities of globalisation, the importance of research and innovation, and the effecient use of new technology in the global marketplace; developing and distributing tools and resources relating to environment, food safety, occupational health and safety risks and sustainability; adopting a futures approach to the development of training packages to better link research and development to competencies; and providing clear information about career paths and job opportunities that enable informed employment and education choices. Show less

This report provides a comprehensive review of Australia's innovation structure. It summarises the programs and projects supported by the government under 'Backing Australia's ability' and other innovation initiatives, and demonstrates how investment is helping to maintain Australia's competitiveness and foster an environment of innovation excellence. There are three key elements to Australia's science, technology and engineering base: research and development; commercialisation, and developing and retaining skills. A framework has been developed to provide an overview of measurable inputs and outputs. This framework is titled the Australian Innovation Scorecard 2002, and it has been designed to benchmark Australia against other OECD countries. This scorecard is based on 15 headline indicators to measure innovation performance, and is designed to reflect the flow of the innovation process. The scorecard shows that overall, Australia's performance compares favourably with other OECD counties, ranking among the top 10 in the OECD for 10 of the indicators used. However, it also illustrates that there are areas in which Australia could improve.

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The National Review of Nursing Education 2002 was initiated in April 2001 to examine the future nursing educational needs of the health, community and aged care system in Australia and to provide advice on appropriate education policy and funding frameworks. The terms of reference included initial registered nurse preparation, enrolled nurse education, education for specialisation, continuing education and the relationship of nursing with other groups in the health workforce. The Review examined the effectiveness of current arrangements for the education and training of nurses, labour market factors affecting the employment of nurses and the choice of nursing as an occupation, and the key factors driving the demand for, and supply of, nursing education and training. The Review sought to make recommendations on models of nurse education and training, the types of skills and knowledge required, and mechanisms for attracting new recruits to nursing and encouraging the commitment to lifelong learning of those already engaged in nursing. The Review commissioned a wide range of research and six literature reviews. This final report contains the summary and recommendations from the Review and the supporting arguments for the recommendations. It is organised into the following sections: Introduction; Summary; Overview of strategies and recommendations: (1) Australian healthcare context; (2) nursing education and practice today; (3) Australian nursing - the future; (4) emerging models of care; (5) an integrated national strategic direction; (6) nursing careers; (7) education and training; (8) organising and planning nursing work; (9) conclusion. Several attachments and tables containing additional related information are included.

The volume of literature reviews undertaken for the National Review of Nursing Education 2002 is indexed at TD/TNC 71.173. Show less

The Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) and the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) funded a project in 2001 to analyse and report on industry requirements for ‘employability skills’. This project was jointly managed by the Business Council of Australia and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and was completed in March 2002. Employability skills were defined for the purposes of the project as ‘skills required not only to gain employment, but also to progress within an enterprise so as to achieve one’s potential and contribute successfully to enterprise strategic directions’. These skills are also referred to as generic skills, capabilities or key competencies. The project was commissioned to provide: (a) advice on possible new requirements for generic employability competencies that industry needs, or will need in the forseeable future, since the development of the Mayer key competencies; (b) clear definitions of what Australian industry and enterprises perceive as employability skills and the terminology being used to describe them; and (c) a proposed suite of employability skills and assessment and reporting options. The project also investigated industry reactions to the proposed suite and reporting options and undertook case studies involving a number of large enterprises and focus group research with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This project final report provides a contemporary perspective of Australian industry on employability skills. It contains: an overview of the Australian economy and the role that skill development plays in supporting economic growth; an overview of the literature review undertaken; an overview of the research undertaken with industry; key findings in relation to an employability skills framework; project findings in relation to developing and assessing employability skills; and conclusions and recommendations.

Three supporting research documents were produced by the project. The literature review is indexed at TD/TNC 70.179, the report on detailed case studies with large enterprises is indexed at TD/TNC 70.180 and the report on the SMEs research is indexed at TD/TNC 70.181. Show less

The project reported here was intended to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the Adult Literacy National Project (ALNP) between 2000 and 2003. The methodology included: identifying evaluation criteria; analysis of available documentation and resources; consultation with key stakeholders; and evaluating the findings and developing recommendations for project implementation and project outcomes. The project recommends: that continued funding is made available to support all components of the ALNP; that consideration is given to a longer funding cycle; that future priorities for project work more effectively target development of skills in adult literacy teaching for [vocational education and training] VET practitioners; and that consideration is given to strategies that involve partnerships in research and project work. Show less

In 1999, the Australian Federal Government acknowledged skills shortages as a critical issue for the national economy. Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) surveys showed that skills shortages had become a major concern for its member industries. In response, an industry-led process designed to identify how an industry-government partnership could address the issue of skills shortages in Australian industry was instituted by the Government, the Australian Industry Group (AiG) and the Business Council of Australia (BCA). This strategy involved an investigation of skills shortages in specific industries by industry working groups which would inform an Action Plan to minimise skills shortages for each industry. The Action Plan would be implemented by an industry Task Force over a period of two years. This final report on the activities of the National Retail Motor Industry Task Force was prepared at the conclusion of its formal operations in August 2002. It states that continued work is required by the industry, which is affected by a shrinking youth base and a perception of reduced value by the community on automotive trade based apprenticeships. The Task Force identified key issues limiting the intake of new apprentices into the industry and developed strategies to reduce the impact of these limitations. The report highlights shortage of entrants, retention rate issues, new technology, and the necessity to market the industry and attract workers as the main challenges facing the industry. A proposal for a pilot project to deliver skills in automotive retail service and repair is outlined.

This National Industry Skills Initiative document is copyright Commonwealth of Australia reproduced by permission. An interim report on skills shortages in the retail motor industry is indexed at TD/TNC 67.200. Show less

This report provides an overview of three major projects which add to the knowledge of the skills needed to ensure social and economic prosperity in Australia, and the skills currently available. The first section, 'Overview of industry skills reports', synthesises nine individual industry reports, which involved a comprehensive identification of common and unique factors that will drive future skills needs and skills shortages. It examines the impact on industry of changing participation rates, market pressures, technological change and regulatory compliance. It then discusses strategies for industry, government, training providers and individuals to respond to these issues. Section two, 'Skill ecosystems', argues that expanding the supply of qualified people is only a partial solution to the skills issues. The skill ecosystems report demonstrates how changes such as industry restructuring, intensified economic competition, new forms of business and industry organisation, have an effect on skill needs and business performance. The final section, 'A well-skilled future: tailoring VTE to the emerging labour market', outlines a research program that aims to improve the understanding of how the labour market is evolving, and how the vocational and technical education (VTE) system can play a role in developing skills levels and matching supply to demand. The National Institute of Labour Studies (NILS) at Flinders University and the Centre for Post-compulsory Education and Lifelong Learning (CPELL) of the University of Melbourne have been commissioned through the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) to undertake the research program. Show less

This report contains the key points from a research paper (indexed at TD/TNC 89.190) of the same title commissioned by the Minerals Industry National Skills Shortages Strategy (NSSS) and funded by the Department of Education Science and Training (DEST). The research resulted from the recommendations of an earlier paper titled ‘Prospecting for skills: the current and future skill needs in the minerals sector’ (indexed at TD/TNC 83.200), which aimed to provide research evidence on the current and future skill needs of the minerals industry. This current research aimed to determine what, if any, barriers to employment and training exist in the Australian minerals industry by examining issues that affect the training of apprentices and trainees. The study revealed that there are a number of fast-track models already available under the competency-based approach to training and skills progression. It is recommended that employers make full use of these models for early completions. Also highlighted is the need for training contracts to be flexible to provide for learners who have the capacity or experience for fast-tracking and for those who need additional time and support. Some of the time durations in some trades need reviewing to ensure that they still meet industry requirements. The study found that there are very few structural barriers to addressing the challenges to employment and training of traditional apprentices and trainees in the minerals industry. Significant progress has been made by the industry in providing innovative solutions to attract, train and retain apprentices and trainees. Based on the findings, strategies to reduce barriers and increase the uptake and completion of traineeships and apprenticeships are recommended, including: industry to further embrace fast-track options and to continue to support such options for the completion of apprenticeships; continued promotion of apprenticeships and traineeships to existing workers to actively engage in recognition of prior learning (RPL); promotion of the industry and career options available through apprenticeships and traineeships; continue to work with Indigenous communities, to ensure access and participation is enhanced; liaise with Federal and State Governments in exploring strategies for making the delivery of training more ‘flexible’; work with Federal and State Governments to support and enhance systems relating to RPL assessments; work with Federal and State Governments in reviewing nominal term durations for apprenticeships; and increase industry participation in school-based apprenticeships and traineeships. Show less

In 1999, the Australian Government acknowledged skills shortages as a critical issue for the national economy with Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) surveys showing skills shortage as a major concern for its member industries. In response, the Government approached skills shortages on an industry by industry basis through the National Industry Skills Initiative (NISI). This industry-led process, designed to identify how an industry-government partnership could address the issue of skills shortage in Australian industry, also involved the Australian Industry Group (AIG) and the Business Council of Australia (BCA). Skills shortages in specific industries were investigated by industry working groups that would inform an action plan to minimise skills shortages for each industry. The four main objectives of the road freight transport industry action plan are to: (1) improve employment outcomes, particularly the recruitment and retention of skilled employees; (2) enhance the image and profile of the trucking industry to promote greater awareness of its important role and ensure that it is seen to offer attractive job opportunities and career paths; (3) develop and support a credible and effective training culture within the industry to encourage the skilling of employees, strengthen employment outcomes, enhance regulatory compliance and meet broader legal requirements; and (4) review and improve existing training structures to promote easier access to the industry and provide better skilling of employees and trainees. Show less