The Australian Government, in collaboration with states and territories, is developing a VET Workforce Blueprint to support, grow and sustain the vocational education and training (VET) workforce. The Blueprint will identify actions for workforce attraction, retention, development, and career progression.
Supply and retention issues are a significant concern facing the VET workforce, with RTOs under increasing pressure to attract and retain a skilled workforce.

Public submissions and a survey of those who have recently left the VET workforce will be sort to inform the development of the Blueprint.

To support your response, a Consultation Paper - Developing a blueprint for the VET workforce - provides background and identifies some of the challenges and potential action areas for consideration.

More information about the submission process and the online submission form can be found here and you may access the survey of people who have recently left the VET workforce here.

Submissions and the survey are open now until AEDT 11 pm 26 March 2024

Sector peak body ART ON THE MOVE (AOTM) have launched a new, five-year Regional Exhibition Touring Strategy for 2024-2028, an initiative aimed at fostering a vibrant cultural exchange across Western Australia. Developed over the past 18 months, the Regional Exhibition Touring Strategy provides a framework to support a five-year touring circuit of visual art, contributing to social, cultural and economic activity in regional WA.
The Strategy outlines six goals for the next five years:

• First Nations culture is celebrated across the regions
• Increased opportunities for regionally-led exhibition development and touring
• WA artists and their works are valued
• Increased equitable community access to infrastructure
• Strengthened professional network that collaborates effectively
• WA regional communities are enriched through meaningful cultural engagement

AOTM's full news release and the Regional Exhibition Touring Strategy may be accessed here

On 25 February 2024, the Hon Jason Clare MP, Minister for Education, released the Australian Universities Accord Final Report.
The Australian Universities Accord Final Report contains 47 recommendations for Government consideration and aims to create a long-term reform plan for the higher education sector to meet Australia’s future skills needs.
A Summary Report was prepared by the Department of Education and outlines themes and issues identified in the Accord Final Report.
The Review proposes ambitious targets to increase the number of places in the tertiary education system to meet Australia’s skills needs. This includes:

• lifting the tertiary attainment rate of the working age population (people with at least one Certificate III qualification or higher) from 60% currently to at least 80% by 2050
• increasing the proportion of university educated Australians aged 25 to 34 from 45% currently to 55% by 2050 – to achieve this increase, the system will more than double the number of Commonwealth supported students in universities from 860,000 currently to 1.8 million by 2050
• a strong and growing contribution to tertiary attainment driven by TAFE and the vocational system, with a planning assumption that 40% of 25 to 34-year-olds will have a tertiary level vocational or technical qualification in 2050, noting that some people have both a VET and higher education qualifications
• opportunities for lifelong learning for all Australians to reskill and upskill, driven by national targets for tertiary participation and attainment across the working age population developed with the states and territories through a stewardship approach similar to that agreed in the 2023 National Skills Agreement.

The Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) have release their annual Economic and Policy Outlook. The 2024 report is in four chapters, exploring the economic forecast and labour market projections, as well as a discussion of working-from-home trends and their impact on productivity, and an examination of energy policy with relation to emissions targets and economic implications.
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The CEDA 2024 Economic and Policy Outlook may be accessed here

• Western Australia Visitor Economy Strategy 2033 (WAVES 2033) has been launched
• Strategy outlines 10-year plan for sustainable growth of WA's visitor economy
• WAVES 2033 aims to elevate WA as a world-class tourism destination, and increase visitor spend to $25 billion by 2033
• WA Government has committed $530 million to tourism for next four years

WAVES 2033 was developed with consultation across 14 WA Government agencies, and with more than 25 industry stakeholders, with representatives invited to offer their insights on the challenges and opportunities faced by the WA tourism industry.

​Growth opportunities were identified and categorised into six goal areas, including Aboriginal tourism, accommodation and attractions, aviation, destination brand, events, and high performing industry, each comprising key initiatives that will drive sustainable growth of the tourism industry.

​Click here to read the Strategy

The State Government has today announced it has established a Tourism Investment Committee of Cabinet, bringing a renewed focus to one of Western Australia's most important industries.
The Tourism Minister will lead the committee, with vital input from Ministers for the Environment, Planning, Culture and the Arts, Sport and Recreation and Regional Development.

​Key focuses of the new committee will include:
• providing strategic guidance and oversight of all major tourism attractions and infrastructure investment proposals, including establishing key Government priorities;
• strengthening collaboration and coordination across agencies to drive timely delivery of approvals through Government processes;
• identifying and removing barriers to tourism investment;
• investigating potential legislative reforms to elevate and expedite Government approvals and investment decisions; and
• identifying new and existing ministerially endorsed tourism infrastructure investment projects.

​Professor Barney Glover AO will commence a five year term as Jobs and Skills Australia commissioner in April 2024. Professor Glover will lead the work to address Australia's current and future workforce skills within the context of work with industry, employees, unions and the education and training sector. The appointment which was announced by the Minister for Skills and Training the Honourable Brendan O'Connor in January may be referenced here on the Jobs and Skills Australia website. 

The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) released the Concussion and Brain Health Position Statement which brings together the most recent evidence-based information to assist sporting organisations, including offering return to sport timelines and guidelines.

The AIS collaborated with key organisations to inform this update, including Sports Medicine Australia, the Australian Physiotherapy Association, and the Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians. 

To access the position statement

130 fee-free qualifications and skill sets are available in 2024 and the Commonwealth and State Governments have extended the agreement to deliver fee-free training until the end of 2026.

Enrolments for 2024 are still being finalised, however there have been a record number of applications to study fee-free courses in 2024 - a 29 per cent increase on applications compared to this time last year. There has also been a 25 per cent increase in applications for TAFE courses overall.

Health and care sector qualifications made up seven out of the top ten fee-free full qualifications, with the strongest enrolment growth in 2023, compared to the previous year.
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Other courses in the top ten for enrolment growth last year include:
• Certificate IV in Information Technology/Certificate IV in Information Technology Networking (up by 473 enrolments); and
• Certificate III in Commercial Cookery (up 239 enrolments)

Access the TAFE website