Skills Ministers unified on VET sector at inaugural meeting

Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash, today chaired the inaugural meeting of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Skills Council.

During the meeting, Commonwealth, state and territory skills ministers agreed on priorities to strengthen the vocational education and training (VET) system and to build a roadmap to deliver the shared vision agreed by leaders at COAG in August.

“We are working with the states and territories as we embark on our ambitious reform agenda, and today was a significant first step on that journey,” Minister Cash said.

“We are united in our aim to strengthen our world class VET sector so that we can ensure all Australians continue to have access to the best quality VET system that we can provide, a system that works with industry to help Australians get the Skills they need.

The Morrison Government has invested $525 million in the Delivering the skills for today and tomorrow package to ensure the sector can continue to build a skilled workforce for the jobs of today and the jobs of the future.

The Skills Council unanimously agreed that the Australian Skills Quality Authority’s engagement with the VET sector needed to include a more educative role and a stronger focus on delivering better training outcomes.

“The Morrison Government is committed to improving the VET sector, and this meeting is a key milestone towards delivering on that commitment,” Minister Cash said.

“Together we have the chance to promote a coordinated, nationwide approach to VET that is responsive to the needs of students and employers.”

The Skills Council will meet again later this year to progress the shared reform roadmap that will be presented to COAG in early 2020.

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