Commonwealth Government announces VET Stakeholder Committee

The Commonwealth Government has established a Vocational Education and Training (VET) Stakeholder Committee to help drive its reform agenda.

Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash (pictured), said the Committee will ensure that stakeholder views are understood, considered and included during the implementation of the Government’s “Delivering Skills for Today and Tomorrow” package.

“The highly experienced committee was handpicked, to ensure we have the talent and knowledge informing the Government’s skills sector initiatives. The VET Stakeholder committee has hit the ground running and hosted their inaugural meeting in Canberra last week,” Minister Cash said.

“Our vision to create a strong VET sector is critical to our economy and to helping prepare Australians for the workforce of today and the future,” Minister Cash said.

The Committee brings together representatives of business councils, consumer advocates, peak body representatives, registered training organisations, and public, private, community and non-for-profit providers. Community Colleges Australia (CCA) is one of 19 organisations represented on the Committee.

The Committee held its first meeting in Canberra last week and will meet monthly. Other organisations represented include TAFE Directors Australia, Adult Learning Australia, Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia, Jobs Australia, Business Council of Australia, Australian Industry Group, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, PwC Skills for Australia, Council of Small Business Organisations Australia and Foundation for Young Australians (see full participant list below).

“CCA is pleased to participate in the Government’s VET Stakeholder Committee. In addition to representing not-for-profit adult and community education VET providers, we see our role as enhancing the consultations and design of the new programs. With more than 400,000 VET students each year, the community education sector is a key player in Australia’s skilling landscape. We want to ensure that our sector’s capabilities and capacity is properly utilised in development education, training and employment outcomes,” said Dr Don Perlgut, CEO of Community Colleges Australia.

“Together we will improve the VET system through collaboration of Commonwealth, state and territory governments, industry and training providers, and shift community perceptions around industry focused training,” Minister Cash said.

“A strong VET sector will support millions of Australians to obtain the skills they need to participate and prosper in the modern economy.”

The establishment of the Committee was also highlighted in an article today on page 2 of The Australian (“Industry panel to get say in VET plan”).

VET Stakeholder Committee membership

Members will meet monthly through to June 2023.