The Victorian Skills Plan for 2022 into 2023 is a detailed document designed to make Victoria better equipped to build a sustainable workforce.

The Skills Plan provides the most comprehensive overview of the State’s labour market to date, outlining the immediate challenges and opportunities in joining up skills and training with jobs to deliver the workers industry needs and create great career opportunities for more Victorians.

The Plan estimates Victoria will need an extra 373,000 workers across 13 key industries by 2025, including 90,000 in the service sector, 65,000 in health and community services and 64,000 in the professional, financial and information services sector. A further 82,000 workers will be needed in regional Victoria.

It also identifies 11 actions for the Government to undertake to address priorities in skills provision – partnering with government, industry, employers, unions, training providers and learners to deliver the following:

1. Start the VET journey at school
2. Enable learners and workers to make informed skilling and career choices
3. Expand opportunities and approaches for students to put theory into practice during their course
4. Build foundation skills to enhance workforce participation
5. Bridge the gender gap
6. Build skills to support Victoria’s clean economy intentions
7. Create innovative solutions to support future skills development
8. Align qualifications to new needs
9. Build the VET Workforce
10. Expand reskilling and upskilling opportunities through skill sets
11. Drive for higher skills and progression through education and training.

Armed with greater knowledge of in-demand local industries and training opportunities, the VSA is tasked with driving delivery of the Skills Plan, which offers a blueprint for TAFEs, universities and training and education providers to plan their courses to match local industry and community needs – and support learners and jobseekers to make the best choices for their future.

The Skills Plan is available alongside an Employment Forecast Dashboard and State of Victorian Labour Market Report. 

Addressing the skills shortage

The Victorian Chamber is pleased that the Skills Plan acknowledges and addresses the critical skills deficit, with businesses telling us in no uncertain terms that the chronic worker shortage is their most pressing challenge.

Victorian Chamber Chief Executive Paul Guerra said: “Emerging from the impacts of COVID-19, as I’ve moved around Victoria meeting with businesses and community representatives in recent months, a shortage of skilled staff has emerged as the single biggest barrier to our post-pandemic recovery.

“We want Victoria to be the best place to live, learn, work and operate a business. The Skills Plan helps lay the foundations for our future.”

The Victorian Chamber’s Victoria Summit process, completed in February, outlined a vision for Victoria and a path for our state’s economic recovery and long-term prosperity.

Pleasingly, the Skills Plan adopts many of the points raised by the Summit’s Playbook, such as encouraging stronger partnerships between industry and education, speeding up the ability of the sector to react to the changing needs of industry in order to remain relevant, and reducing the time for qualifications to be scoped and certified. In particular, the Plan recommends:

• Supporting more work-integrated learning through placements
• Providing better careers advice
• Addressing the gender gap
• Supporting the transition to clean energy
• Supporting the development of micro-credentials.

“As the education state and a vital business and economic hub, Victoria’s perspective is crucial to addressing our nationwide skills and labour shortages,” Mr Guerra said.

“It’s why we set up the Victoria Summit during the pandemic to bring together key stakeholders across the community. The end result was the Victoria Summit Playbook containing 189 actions under 10 key pillars.

“This Skills Plan, which references some of these actions, is a step in the right direction but there is plenty of work to do to achieve change.

“The Chamber is ready to stand with members, governments and industry and education sectors to help deliver positive skills and employment outcomes for Victoria.”