VET and WorkReady – where to next?

It looks like private providers may need to help out TAFE SA in terms of assessing impacted students and that could be the grounds for a solid new collaboration. ACPET in South Australia is taking a leadership role in exploring a shared vision of excellence for Tertiary Education in South Australia. The establishment and support of the Industry Leaders Groups in regions provides a mechanism to feed in evidence and co-design workforce development solutions. An industry version of these groups for priority sectors, would be a great source of insight and practical solutions.

Since 2014, Workforce BluePrint has been publicly advocating for a vision for South Australia’s and Australia’s future workforce and VET system, with no better time than now to do it.

WorkReady must reinvent into something that is innovative and encourages experimentation with a true base of evidence on current and future workforce requirements. This would mean operating outside of accredited training as well as within, matching South Australian government priorities and emerging international opportunities.

This does not mean a refreshed list of subsidised qualifications!

Instead there would be:

  • Agreement on a timeframe to work towards, perhaps around 2020-2021
  • An understanding of the proximate environment and context
  • Documentation of the driving forces, government, regional and industry priorities
  • A preferred future described for the South Australian workforce and VET in SA
  • Commitment by stakeholders to a set of values and principles
  • Engagement with stakeholders to co-design the new vision, system and strategies including funding and programs
  • An analysis of implications for the workforce including critical job roles, critical capabilities, workforce attraction, recruitment, retention and development strategies
  • A very practical action plan with priorities, lead and partner organisations, resources and timeframes

South Australian priorities for VET

A starting point is the South Australian government priorities supporting workforce development in:

  • Advanced manufacturing, design and technology
  • Agriculture and horticulture
  • Arts, events and music
  • Building and construction
  • Business, education and entrepreneurship
  • Child care, community services, disability and health
  • Conservation and land management
  • Energy and water
  • Food, beverages and wine
  • Local government, smart cities and regions
  • Mining, resources and services
  • Sports and recreation
  • Tourism and hospitality
  • Transport and logistics

Overall, a goal to be the most entrepreneurial state in Australia would encourage people to explore their own business, be an intrapreneur i.e. an entrepreneur for their employer, or a social innovator, achieving broader outcomes for South Australia.

Areas where we must give people permission to experiment in VET include:

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning and robots
  • Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR) and Virtual Reality (VR)
  • Autonomous cars and vehicles
  • Blockchain and Fintech
  • Edtech and Agtech
  • Export and international business
  • Drones and big data analysis
  • Internet of Things (IoT)
  • Pod casting and Youtubing
  • Share/on-demand economy and coworking
  • Social messaging and influencing
  • Smart cities, farms and regions
  • Startups and scaleups
  • 3D printing and holograms
  • 21st Century Capabilities
  • Workforce of the Future – Workforce 4.0

Now, over to you to make your suggestions and I look forward to engaging on where to next, thank you.

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