Skills eFlash #112

Date: 15-Dec-2022

Information for Water Industry Managers, Human Resources Personnel and Employees in the Queensland Water Industry
(Issue #112 - 15 December 2022)

In this edition:

Skills Partnership Meeting Update
Water Industry Snapshot Report 2022
Establishment of Jobs and Skills Councils
RTO Standards Revision
ISA Digital Survey Jobs Qld
Review of Australian Core Skills Framework and Digital Literacy Skills Framework
Festive Wishes!

1. Skills Partnership Meeting Update

Thank you to those who attended the final catch up meeting for the year, held 6 December 2022 as an online event:

The meeting saw the election of the new Chair of the Skills Partnership group, with Amber Robinson from Central Highlands Council voted into that important role. We thank Amber for her commitment and look forward to working more closely with her in 2023.
We also pass on our sincere thanks to outgoing Chair Angela Robinson from SEQ Water who stands down after 3 years in the role for her unwavering support and input.
Members provided feedback on the current challenges surrounding RTO provision of fit for purpose training, notably since the withdrawal earlier this year of TAFEQ from the SAS platform.
DESBT were also present, to hear first hand the experiences and issues faced, particularly in more remote and regional QLD. What was striking too from the discussions was that many issues are also being faced by the large utilities in the South East of the State.
Discussions will continue with the Department and qldwater, and engagement with the RTOs in the New Year, to recount members’ feedback and hear the issues from the RTO’s perspective.
Interest was expressed in the Water Industry Operators Association (WIOA) developed Acuario Platform, which puts in place for the first time, a portal for the registration of Operators, collating in dashboard format the skillsets and training that Operators currently have in place, or require renewal. This provides visibility of skills and training gaps and can be of significant benefit in workforce planning and identifying training needs.
A taster of the platform can be seen in a presentation here: https://wioa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Certification_Acquario1.mp4 (copy and paste link).

2. Water Industry Snapshot Report 2022

Since 2010, qldwater has produced biennial Workforce Composition Snapshot Reports to track trends in skills and training issues with data gathered from a representative sample of Queensland urban water service providers and a range of other sources.

The 2022 Snapshot Report is the seventh iteration of the Queensland Urban Water Industry Workforce Composition Snapshot Report. There are currently no national studies which attempt to capture this information, and feedback from industry and government stakeholders has been very positive since the process commenced.

We are mindful of the busy time of year and the holiday period; changes of personnel at qldwater have meant that we have had to balance the need to make this important request, with having resource in place to meet that requirement.
The data that members supply is used in ongoing discussions with the Department to confirm the skilling and workforce planning issues that are currently evident for organisations on the ground.
The Water Industry Snapshot data request template will be forwarded along to you with a meeting invite to the Census Date, please ensure that the person most appropriate to complete the data in your organisation has access to the document.
We greatly appreciate your help in returning the data for this important report to nholmes@qldwater.com.au by 3^rd February 2023. Neil Holmes will be in touch throughout January to provide support and assistance in any way that he can.
There will be a Snapshot Census Day on Friday 20^th January 2023, where members of the qldwater team will be on hand to chat and help with any issues arising around survey completion.

3. Establishment of Jobs and Skills Councils (Previously Industry Clusters)

Jobs and Skills Councils (JSCs) are being established through a two-stage grant opportunity. Stage One of the grant opportunity opened on 3 December 2021 and closed on 31 March 2022.
The successful JSCs were confirmed on 13^th December 2022 with the Water Industry residing in the “Building, Construction and Property” JSC.
JSCs will identify skills and workforce needs for their sectors, map career pathways across education sectors, develop contemporary VET training products, support collaboration between industry and training providers to improve training and assessment practice and act as a source of intelligence on issues affecting their industries.
JSCs will have a strong connection to Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), drawing on JSA’s workforce analysis and projections to undertake planning for their industry sectors, creating a consistent understanding of the skills landscape and how skill gaps can be addressed.
The new JSCs will replace current industry engagement arrangements which includes Industry Reference Committees (IRCs) and Skills Service Organisations (SSOs) and are expected to be operational from January 2023. The Australian Industry and Skills Committee will cease at the end of December 2022.
As an Industry Peak Body qldwater will be involved in update meetings and consultations as the JC process rolls out. If you’ve any questions or wish to raise/discuss issues please email skills@qldwater.com.au
The media release about JSCs can be accessed here
The factsheet giving detail on JSC groupings and training packages is here

4. RTO Standards Revision

The Australian Government has released draft revised ‘Standards for Registered Training Organisations’ (RTOs) for public consultation.

The draft revised Standards and a supporting consultation paper are now available on the Skills Reform website here
The Australian Government are keen to hear from all people with an interest in ensuring the quality of Australia’s VET system, including trainers and assessors, RTO managers and other RTO staff, VET and industry peak bodies, VET experts, learners, employers, and unions. There are several ways in which feedback can be provided on the draft Standards, including an online survey or by attending a face-to-face or online forum.
As an industry peak body qldwater is digesting the information to confirm whether a submission will be made on behalf of members.
Should any members wish to make a submission you can find out more on how you can have your say on the draft revised RTO Standards here

5. Industry Skills Advisor (ISA) Digital Survey Jobs Queensland

As an ISA, qldwater has been asked to provide responses to a digital survey produced by Jobs Queensland to investigate industry occupations that could benefit from the utility of employment-based learning (EBL) to meet growing demand for work ready vocational education and training and higher education graduates and provide a superior environment for acquiring applied skills and workplace experience in the rapid adoption of technology.

If you have any experiences or thoughts/comments you wish to share on EBL, please email skills@qldwater.com.au by 18^th January 2023.

6. Review of the Australian Core Skills Framework & Digital Literacy Skills Framework

The ACER report on the Review of the Australian Core Skills Framework and Digital Literacy Skills Framework and relevant assessment tools has now been published.

Digital literacy will be an important component in the skilling of the water industry workforce both now and in the future.
Feedback on the recommendations contained in the report can be provided up to 28 February 2023 and will inform future changes to the Australian Core Skills Framework. If you would like to provide feedback or simply view the report, please head here.
(Scroll to the bottom of the page for the report download).

7. Best Wishes for the Festive Season and Thanks

As this is the last Skills E-Flash for the year, the team at qldwater would like to take this opportunity to wish all members and stakeholders a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. It has been our pleasure to work with you over the course of the 2022.

Heartfelt thanks from all the team for the continued support of our community; we look forward to picking up renewed and refreshed with you all in 2023 and continuing to champion our vital industry sector.

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