THE AUSTRALIAN GREEN SKILLS
AGREEMENT
POLICY AND INDUSTRY CONTEXT, INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSE AND
GREEN SKILLS DELIVERY
Martin Riordan – CEO TAFE Directors Australia
APEC Human Capital Policies for Green Growth and Employment Symposium
Washington DC, 20th March 2012
POSTCARD – Sydney from Bondi Beach
POSTCARD – Sydney from Manly Beach
POSTCARD: Australia as a major resource producer
POSTCARD: Great Barrier Reef, Queensland
Outline of presentation
• Introduction – skilling priorities
• Policy context
• Commonwealth Government
• The Green Skills Agreement
• Other policy areas
• State Governments
http://projectmanager.com.au/news/nsw-buildings-receiveenvironmental-upgrade-boost-05122011/
• Industry perspective
• Priority challenge
• Vocational Education and Training Green transformation
• Green Skills and the VET practitioner
• The green status of Australian TAFEs
• Culture, campus, curriculum and community
• National uptake of Green Skills
• Challenges and opportunities
7
1. Policy context
- Structure of Australian Training
- Industry-led training
11 Industry Skill Councils
61 Australian
TAFE
Institutes
Membership consists of
TAFE, Industry, Educators
Qualifications
Training Packages
NOTE – Australian training operates in an open competition -- TAFE (technical and further education)
competes in a total market of 5,001 Registered Training Providers
8
Projection of population by age to 2025,
Australia,
indexes 2010 =100, net overseas migration 220,000 per year
180
170
160
150
65 and
over
0-4
140
5-14
50-64
130
23-49
15-17
120
18-22
110
100
2010
2015
2020
2025
9
One in eight of 35-54 year old males not employed
Employed as % of population by age, Australia 1970 to 2010, males
35 – 54
100
55 – 59
60 -64
96
89
87
90
88
86
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1970
1983
1990
2000
2010
10
Percent with qualifications who are in workforce and
in work
Persons aged 15-64, Australia 2009, %
employed full-time
with non-school qual
employed part-time
63%
without non-school qual
19%
40%
0%
10%
20%
24%
30%
40%
50%
unemployed
4%
6%
60%
70%
80%
90% 100%
11
Employment 88% of those with high literacy 48% with
low
Persons aged 15 to 74, Australia 2006, 000
Employed
2,137
Level 4/5
Population
2,438
1,597
Employed
Level 1
Population
-
500
1,000
1,500
3,321
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
Policy key areas
• ‘COAG’ targets – on education, on sustainability
• Focus on education and training – linked to sustainability and carbon reduction drive
• National drive to lift productivity -- OECD benchmarking showing Australia slipping in
productivity performance
• Address by Secretary of Treasury – Dr Martin Parkinson
• Sustainability is more than environmental issues, and that energy, resource and environmental
efficiencies are key drivers of productivity
• Parkinson asserts that the theme of sustainability must shape the approach to policy
development of this generation
• Links between productivity, sustainability and innovation are critical to
a thriving economy
• The Green Skills Agreement was endorsed Nov 2009 – four
Commonwealth policy areas influencing Vocational Education and
Training
Policy Context (1)
Commonwealth Government
Four policy areas
1.
2.
3.
4.
An Agreement between the Australian Government and the state and territory governments
National Action Plan for Education for Sustainability
National VET Sector Sustainability Policy and Action Plan
The Green Skills Agreement (GSA)
Clean Energy and Other Skills Package
The Green Skills Agreement
• Develop national standards in skills for sustainability within the
requirements of the national regulatory framework.
• Review and revise Training Packages to incorporate skills for
sustainability
• Up-skill VET practitioners so they can provide effective training and
facilitation in skills for sustainability
• Implement strategies to reskill vulnerable workers in the transition to a
low-carbon economy.
Policy context (2)
State & Territory governments
•
NSW – Green Skills Strategy Implementation Plan
•
South Australia - a series of initiatives to enhance the opportunities of South
Australian TAFEs in delivering skills for sustainability
•
Victoria – courses in energy efficiency, sustainable painting and workplace project
delivery, Green Skills audit and Victoria’s TAFE Development Centre delivered
sustainability courses over 500 VET Teachers
•
Western Australia – Report in 2010 (Skilling for a Sustainable Future)
recommendations yet to be implemented
•
Queensland - Under the Skills for Sustainability Policy and Action Plan- includes
funded support for Skills for a Low Carbon Economy and Green Building Skills Fund
Industry perspective
http://thirdsectormagazine.com.au/news/industr
y_associations_unite_to_improve_green_collar
_skills/063577/
• Influencing the green skills agenda
• Dr. John Spiering’s role
• Skills Australia
• Reported that sustainability will be one of 6 major drivers of skills needs in
Australia
• Industry Skills Councils (ISCs)
• The eleven ISCs collectively produced a publication (Environmental
Sustainability: An Industry Response)
• The majority of ISCs have now incorporated sustainability in training
packages
• The Australian Industry Group
• Report in 2012 – “the industry has recognised the important alignment of
sustainability and innovation”
• Business Council of Australia
• Indicated that investment in innovation and education is vital for a
sustainable future
Vocational Education and Training Green
Transformation
• The leadership of TAFE in Australia
• Central Institute of TAFE, Swinburne TAFE,
Sydney Institute of TAFE and TAFE NSW
North Coast Institute of TAFE
• The Green Skills Agreement has seen
the embedding of sustainability in
training through:
• Green technical skills
• Skills for Sustainability ‘bolted on’
• Sustainability embedded
• Qualifications in sustainability (for
sustainability professionals)
http://ecommunities.tafensw.edu.au/pl
uginfile.php/918/mod_page/content/3
9/CoreCompetencyFeature.png
Green Skills and VET practitioners
• Some challenges
• Competence in understanding the principles of sustainability - Education
about sustainability AND engaging students to reflect on their own ’values
and attitudes’ towards sustainability - Education for Sustainability
• Education for Sustainability includes learning based strategies around
systems thinking, problem solving, critical thinking and reflection
• Recruiting difficulties in competent teachers in nascent or emerging
technologies
The green status of Australian TAFEs
Culture, curriculum, community and … campus – a survey of
61 TAFEs was undertaken in December 2011.
•
Culture – 83% of Institutes had a current sustainability plan with targets
for environmental indicators, teaching and learning and infrastructure.
• Curriculum - 81% Institutes cited active programs in sustainability. 30%
of courses registered included sustainability competencies. PD in
sustainability varied with some only delivering basic courses
• Community – a modest response with several Institutes, mostly
regionally-based, having strong community, regional and industry
partnerships in sustainability
TAFE and Sustainable Campuses
National uptake of Green Skills (1)
State training NSW https://www.training.nsw.gov.au/tra
ining_providers/greenskills/general_r
esources.html
Green Skills/ energy efficiency training enrolments (Aust 2008 – 2010)
Source NCVER Students and courses database)
National uptake of Green Skills (2)
Green skills/energy efficiency enrolments by industry, Australia 2008
– 2010 (Source: NCVER, Student and courses database)
Challenges and opportunities
Challenges:
• Workforce delivery and community engagement
• Building institutional capability
• Demand for TAFE (and other) Institutions to develop quality and profitable
programs in green skills delivery
Opportunities:
• A proliferation of teaching resources for green skills programs to support Institutions
and teachers
• Professional Development opportunities across Australia for VET Practitioners
• The Australian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS) has launched a sustainability
benchmarking tool (LiFE)
• The potential development of Green Skills Networks – currently scoping Community of
Practice between Australia and the USA Community College network
In conclusion
• Productivity, innovation and sustainability are closely linked in a thriving
economy
• The Green Skills Agreement has had a significant impact on the VET sector
• Industry is engaging with sustainability through a focus on productivity and
innovation
• The VET sector is transforming and delivering on Green Skills
• The most significant changes in the VET sector are infrastructure with culture
and curriculum gaining momentum
• The national uptake of green skills has doubled in the past 5 years
• Challenges and opportunities are being addressed
Contacts
Martin Riordan -- TAFE Directors Australia
Email: mriordan@tda.edu.au
Telephone: + 61 2 9217 3180
Facsimile: + 61 2 9281 7335|
THANK YOU