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Care sector at the forefront of new Skills plan for NSW – first in more than 15 years
Freya Lucas
Dec 04, 2024
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The New South Wales Government has released a new Skills Plan - the first in more than 15 years - with the aim of addressing skills shortages and modernising the vocational education and training (VET) system.
The first NSW Skills plan since 2008 has been described as ‘an ambitious blueprint’ which will guide the transformation of VET in the state, while also tackling pressing skills gaps in industries such as manufacturing, renewable energy, construction, and the care and support sector, which includes early childhood education and care (ECEC).The Plan works together with a new State Migration Plan, which will attract skilled workers from overseas to address shortages while driving NSW’s economic growth.
With 44 per cent of occupations in NSW facing shortages, the Plan focuses on:
- Priority skills – directing funding and training to areas with the highest demand.
- Local skills – ensuring local communities have a say with a new regional planning model to meet local needs.
- Skills for young people – giving school students and young people opportunities and pathways to local jobs.
“This plan is a game changer for the state's vocational education and training sector. It is about ensuring our workforce has the skills needed to drive NSW’s future prosperity and address the critical shortages we face across key industries,” Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Steve Whan said.“The NSW Skills Plan demonstrates the Government is taking the Skills challenges seriously. We are committed to strengthening the role of TAFE and other training providers to deliver industry-led, high-quality education.”
Key initiatives to be developed under the plan include:
- A new regional skills planning and governance model to address the severe skills and labour shortages in regional and remote areas.
- An annual State of the System Report to monitor system performance and the progress of the NSW Skills Plan.
Building on the findings of the NSW VET Review, the Plan outlines actions such as boosting recruitment of skilled workers, enhancing teacher capacity in high-demand fields like STEM, and modernising TAFE NSW to ensure it remains at the heart of the VET sector, a key Minns Labor Government election commitment.
By fostering partnerships between industry, schools, and training organisations, the NSW Skills Plan will build a flexible, high-quality VET system to secure the workforce NSW needs now and into the future.
The NSW Skills Plan aligns with national priorities under the Albanese Government’s National Skills Agreement, addressing Closing the Gap, Net Zero transformation and VET qualification reforms.
“This is a bold, forward-thinking agenda that addresses today’s challenges while building the skilled workforce we need for the future of NSW,” the Minister said.
The Skills Plan is one part of the staged response to the VET review and can be viewed here.
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