Skilling SA in the
Context of Ageing
Raymond Garrand
Chief Executive, DFEEST
Skills for South Australia
• Demand for skilled workers and increased workforce
participation
• Ageing workforce amplifies this demand
• Skills for All makes fundamental changes to the State’s
training system in order to:
• Raise the skill level of South Australians
• Increase the number of South Australians with post school
qualifications
• Increase employment participation
South Australian Education Workforce
The education workforce in South Australia is older than
the total workforce in the state.
DFEEST in the Context of Ageing
• Vision: for SA to have the best workforce in Australia.
• To stimulate workforce planning across industry in order
to address skill shortages and the impact of ageing.
• To implement Skills for All.
• To ensure quality provision and regulation of the VET
sector.
• To ensure TAFE lecturers and hourly paid instructors
(HPIs) are skilled and qualified to meet industry and
student demands.
Increased Funding for Training
Meeting demand
Millions
SA DEMAND AND SUPPLY OF TRAINING (IN HOURS)
29
27
25
23
21
19
17
15
2009/10
2010/11
2011/12
Training Demand
2012/13
2013/14
Training Supply
DFEEST Workforce Profile Challenges
% of workforce aged 50 years or over
South Australia*
28%
SA Public Sector**
37%
DFEEST Employees***
47%
TAFE (Lecturers and HPIs)****
53%
TAFE (Lecturers and HPIs) in skill shortage
sample****
58%
TAFE Workers across Australia
TAFE Worker
All
NSW
Tas.
Qld
WA
SA
Vic
ACT
Average age (years)
47.6
49.6
48.2
47.4
47.2
46.9
46.3
45.6
Cabinet Maker
Motor Mechanic
TAFE Hourly Paid Instructors
Child Care Worker
Electrician
SA Workforce
Plumber
Butcher
Civil Engineering
Draftsperson and
Technician
Airconditioning and
Refrigeration Mechanic
Meeting Skill Shortage Demands
Lecturer & HPI Age by Occupation
TAFE Lecturers
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Age Profile of TAFE SA Students
Key Delivery Challenges
• Ensuring TAFE has the adequate teaching staff to meet
demand, increasing under Skills for All.
• Limited flexibility within existing industrial relations
regime.
• Recognition that TAFE lecturers and HPIs are required to
have significant industry experience in order to deliver
informed and quality training.
• Addressing this demand within the context of Skills for All
implementation.
• Harnessing the innovation and creativity of the future
leaders of DFEEST.
Current Strategies
• People & Culture Plan 2010-15
• Dedicated central resource for strategic workforce
planning
• Leadership and Management Program, including
mentoring
• Graduate and Trainee Program
• Organisational Capacity Building Program
• TAFE SA workforce profiling, planning and development
specific to each institute
Going Forwards…
• Opportunity to create a more flexible TAFE workforce
• Enhanced industry knowledge of lecturing staff through
industry partnerships
• Rejuvenated recruitment strategy for TAFE lecturers
• Development of an annual retirement intention survey that
informs succession planning
• Active promotion of existing policies (Super SA, phased
retirement)
• Set capability matrix for TAFE SA and DFEEST Central
(each) that provide career pathways and inform
organisational capacity development
• Database of graduates of Certificate IV and Diploma of
Training and Assessment, potential lecturer source.
Further Information Online
• DFEEST:
www.dfeest.sa.gov.au
• TAFE SA:
www.tafesa.edu.au
• Skills SA:
www.skills.sa.gov.au
• Workforce Information Service:
www.workforceinfoservice.sa.gov.au