The Australian Government has established a Jobs and Skills Council (JSC), which is expected to help the agribusiness sector get the skilled workers they need.
The Agribusiness JSC, called Skills Insight, has been established as a tripartite body and will consider the full range of industry views and pursue solutions to skills and workforce challenges currently facing Australian agribusiness.
The industry-led and owned organisation will work to identify current skill needs and career pathways across education sectors.
It will also support collaboration between industry and training providers to improve assessment practices and serve as a source of intelligence on issues related to agribusiness.
Skills Insight will also support textiles, clothing and footwear, forestry, timber and furnishing, working closely with Jobs and Skills Australia to gain a better understanding of the skills landscape.
Skills Insight will prioritise the development of an initial workforce plan for various industry sectors, which is expected to set a critical path for prioritising and diagnosing workforce challenges as the JSC ramps up its operations in the first year.
A further nine JSCs are in the process of being established and are due to be operational by mid-2023.
According to Minister for Skills and Training Brendan O’Connor, Skills Insight will be responsible for shaping and directing the skills sector, supporting the development of a pipeline of skilled workers for agribusiness.
“This comes as the Albanese Government delivers 13,200 Technical and Further Education and vocational education and training fee-free places for students in agriculture courses in 2023, while expanding the Australian Apprenticeship Priority List to include more agriculture, processing and veterinary careers,” Minister O’Connor added.
Meanwhile, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Murray Watt, the council will help the region attract and retain the workers it needs.
“The working group brings together industry, unions and government to tackle some of the industry’s biggest issues and has already made progress by settling principles for a national labour-hire licensing scheme to protect farm workers from exploitation,” Minister Watt stated.
