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This presentation shares the findings of a joint research project with the [Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation] CSIRO on evolving [vocational education and training] VET to embed skill needs emerging from digital and technological disruption and other future trends. This applied research project is directly related to the future role of innovation in VET and staying ahead of the curve in meeting client and industry expectations. VET is fundamental to the Australian economy and delivering the skills needed for the future world of work as well as to drive and respond to productivity growth. Knowing what those skills are and preparing the sector to deliver in a way which resonates with the clients of tomorrow are fundamental to the future survival of training providers.

To that end, TAFE Queensland and the CSIRO have entered a partnership to investigate what technological and digital disruption mean for the workforce of the future and how VET will need to evolve to meet these needs. This applied research project will examine the future skilling needs of the nation and the adjustments that the VET sector need to make to accommodate this future demand. The project will consider two key points: future demand for skills and occupations in the Australian economy; and how the VET sector needs to adapt its course content and delivery to prepare workers for the future economy.

The project will draw on CSIRO's foresighting and megatrends methodologies and TAFE Queensland's experience in training delivery and strong links to industry to identify trends in the demand for skills in the Australian economy. The focus will be on 10 years from now. The research will take account of technological changes, globalisation, industry structure, demographics, working patterns and other key trends. These trends will be overlayed with the training demand that will be required to support these changes and to drive future productivity growth.

Recent reports into the future of work illustrate a dramatic shift in the skills that Australians will require to continue to be engaged within the future labour market. These reports specifically identified current skills being delivered within the VET sector as being impacted by future changes in the workforce, including digital disruption and automation. A key component of the discussion now needs to be how the education and training sector will respond to, and to an extent, drive these changes. In response, this research project will identify the key groups that are most likely to be at the greatest risk of economic marginalisation. In addition to individuals the research will also examine the impact on enterprises that are currently major employers of VET graduates. The project will leverage existing research by the CSIRO on the future of work and utilise additional data inputs, including [National Centre for Vocational Education Research] NCVER, [Australian Bureau of Statistics] ABS and other relevant data sources.

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This study informs regional workforce development planning in the Fraser Coast Local Government Area. Drawing on literature reviews, employment data and stakeholder interviews, the study reveals how the demand and supply of skills is changing over time. Based on this analysis it identifies how regional workforce development could be directed to maximise future economic opportunities for workers and businesses.

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The [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic has led to a widespread shift to remote work, reducing the level of face-to-face interaction between workers and changing their modes and patterns of communication. This study tests whether this transformation in production processes has been associated with disruptions in the longstanding labour market trend of increasing demand for interpersonal skills. To address this question, we integrate a skills taxonomy with the text of over 12 million Australian job postings to measure skills demand trends at the aggregate and occupational levels. We find that since the start of the pandemic, there has been an acceleration in the aggregate demand for interpersonal skills. We also find a strong positive association between an occupation's propensity for remote work and the acceleration in interpersonal skills demand for the occupation. Our findings suggest that interpersonal skills continue to grow in importance for employment in the post-pandemic, remote work friendly labour market.

Published abstract.

Forthcoming article first published online 8 January 2024 by Springer Nature. Show less

Purpose: The authors proposed that participation in large-scale, structured events designed to match students to employers' internship opportunities could support students' employability by focussing students' career goals, strengthening students' career self-efficacy and growing students' social capital. Design/methodology/approach: Interviews were carried out with 49 students both before and after the students took part in the event to assess whether students career goals, self-efficacy or social capital changed after taking part in the events. In the second interview, the authors also asked students what outcomes students gained from the event and how the event process had contributed to these outcomes.

Findings: Students' descriptions of their outcomes from the event aligned with social capital theory and self-efficacy theory. The students valued the information, connections, skills and experience they developed through taking part in the interviews and connecting with employers and students. The longitudinal analyses revealed that most students career goals did not change, but students' career self-efficacy improved and students could identify more actions for achieving their career goals after taking part in the event. Importantly, these actions were often explicitly connected with information or connections that students gained from the event. Originality/value: The interviews illustrate that students can build social capital from short, one-on-one engagement with employers that then enable them to identify ways of furthering students' career goals. The authors' findings suggest that structured, event-based engagement with employers can provide an efficient and equitable means of enhancing students' social capital and career self-efficacy.

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This report is the product of a joint project undertaken by CSIRO and TAFE Queensland which investigates how the vocational education and training (VET) sector can best support Australia's future workforce in the context of evolving skill needs and forthcoming digital disruption. The VET sector provides Australians with the skills they need to participate in the labour market and Australia's industries with the workers they need to drive the national economy. However, as digital technology becomes increasingly ubiquitous, business models and employment models are being disrupted and machines are developing the capability to perform ever more complex tasks. The impact of such changes on the roles and tasks required of workers are already being seen. As advances in digital technology continue to accelerate, these changes are expected to become more pervasive and rapid, so that workers will need to learn and re-skill in an ongoing manner, either to keep up with new role requirements or re-skill for new jobs (as old jobs are automated). For this reason, the readiness and agility of the VET sector will be critical in determining how well Australian workers transition to participate in a more digital economy and in turn, how well the nation's economy will grow through the opportunities presented by technological change. In response to these needs, this research provides insight into the types of skills and ways of working that are likely to be required in the future. This task was approached from two angles. First, the authors analyse labour market trends and national employment data to identify how the demand for skills is changing with increased uptake of technology. Second, they draw upon the research literature and interviews with key stakeholders (representatives from employers, government, VET providers, technology providers, students and research experts) to consider how greater efficiency, agility and transparency could be achieved through innovative application of digital technology within the VET sector.

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This report examines plausible futures for jobs and employment markets in Australia over the coming 20 years. The narrative of the future is based on a structured process of strategic foresight which identifies megatrends and scenarios. While digital technology disruption is an important driver, the report covers a comprehensive range of technological, economic, social, environmental and geopolitical trends. The aim is to inform strategic choices of governments, companies, communities and individuals in planning for economic growth, productive industries, rewarding careers, cohesive communities and improved quality of life. The implications of this report are that workforce transitions - how individuals move from one job to another and how industries move from one labour market structure to another - are crucial. Although change is inevitable, future destinations are not. Based on this narrative of the future, individuals, communities, companies and governments can identify and implement transition pathways that achieve better outcomes.

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The Australian labour market has become increasingly dynamic, placing new pressures on job seekers, workers and employers. Businesses now have to adapt to changes driven by technology, globalisation and other factors. The skills students learn today need to prepare them for the jobs of the future. Some workers will need to transition to new career paths in the future while others will require re-skilling to remain employable. Equipping citizens, businesses, educators and policy makers with relevant information about the labour market will be critical in ensuring all Australians are able to navigate these future changes. This report explores how the Australian Government Department of Employment could improve upon its current predictive capabilities to better forecast jobs and skills in the Australian economy.

[The] report proposes the Employment Data Ecosystem (EDE) as a way to improve how users understand and anticipate changes in the Australian labour market. The EDE will be an online platform that provides a central access point for data, information and intelligence on the Australian labour market. It will combine traditional and real-time data sources to offer insights into current and long-term changes in the labour market. Moreover, the EDE will cater for the diverse range of information needs by providing intuitive search channels and personalised tools that allow users to easily navigate the available data and answer their specific questions. The EDE will not be a stagnant platform; it will grow and evolve as new data sources and tools become available, offering the most up-to-date insights into the labour market.

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This study uses a natural language processing algorithm and a database of online job ads to investigate whether employers' recruitment strategies are likely to address or entrench segmentation of employment opportunities for Indigenous workers. By identifying job postings that encourage Indigenous applicants, require Indigenous cultural capability, or prioritize Indigenous candidates, significant growth in demand for Indigenous workers is revealed. However, postings are concentrated in three sectors and within one occupation group. Certain sectors, like arts and recreation, offer well-paid and high-skilled roles for Indigenous workers, while others, such as manufacturing, offer low-skill, low-wage roles through Identified and cultural capability job postings. Comparing the location and qualifications of Indigenous workers with job postings reveals potential for employers to better align their strategies with Indigenous career pathways. The study methodology can be used to monitor labour market segmentation in other locations and for other target groups.

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Think Silicon Valley in California, Silicon Fen in Cambridge and Tech Central in Sydney. These and other such places are examples of industry clusters. Decades of research in economic geography has shown that clusters matter. Firms inside clusters tend to grow faster, innovate more, compete and build wealth globally at the national scale. Clusters aren't everything, but they're a critical component of effective industry growth and development strategy. In this report the authors have - for the first time - mapped Australia's digital technology industry clusters at the national scale.

The authors examined 2,473 statistical areas at level two (SA2 regions) in Australia as defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and found that 96 of the SA2 regions had significant levels of digital technology industry specialisation. A cluster is a geographic agglomeration of specialised industry activity. Three types of digital technology industry cluster were identified: (a) super-clusters - Australia’s largest and most significant agglomerations of digital companies and workers; (b) greater capital city clusters - large and highly concentrated workforces with high levels of specialisation in diverse fields and often contain large companies; and (c) regional niche clusters - significant digital workforces specialised in one, sometimes two, areas of digital technology expertise.

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