skills

The training and skills sector, also known as vocational education and training or VET, gives Australians the opportunity to gain the skills they need to enter the workforce for the first time, to re-enter the workforce, to retrain for a new job or to upgrade their skills for an existing job. Australian Apprenticeships are available in traditional trades, and in a diverse range of emerging careers, in most sectors of business and industry.

The Australian Government takes a lead role in promoting a post-school education and training system that is nationally consistent and coherent; responsive to individual, industry and community needs; and recognised as providing quality outcomes. To achieve this, the Australian Government works with state and territory governments, education and training providers, and industry.

The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations helps the Australian Government achieve its agenda for post-school education and training through three distinct, but closely interrelated, areas:

• quality policy advice and other support provided to the Minister, underpinned by capabilities in research, analysis and evaluation that also inform the policy debate within the vocational education and training and higher education sectors
• efficient national programme management
• effective working relationships with state and territory governments, industry, education and training providers, and other stakeholders.

The department administers diverse programmes and legislation to achieve the Australian Government's policy objectives. It also collaborates with Centrelink to deliver some programmes, and manages a Business Partnership Agreement with Centrelink for this purpose.

The department also provides funding to support the Australian Government's role in promoting the uptake of information and communication technology in education and training.

 Skills Australia

Skills Australia was announced in the Australian Government's Skilling Australia for the Future policy as a body to provide advice to the Minister on current, emerging and future workforce development needs and workforce skills needs. Its objectives are to identify training priorities to respond to those needs, increase workforce participation, improve productivity and competitiveness, identify and address skills shortages and promote the development of a highly skilled workforce.

Skills Australia was established by the Skills Australia Act 2008, which received Royal Assent on 20 March 2008. The Skills Australia Act 2008 establishes the operational arrangements to support the independent body and specifies that members be appointed by the Minister and must have experience in academia, the provision of education and training, economics and industry.