What's New

 

The "What's New" page contains links and information regarding industry changes, legistlation updates, up coming program information and application forms. Please notify the LTC via the contact form if you are aware of relevant information that is not listed on this page.

 

 

National Workforce Development Fund

The Building Australia’s Future Workforce Document (May 2011) outlines a number of initiatives that will have a direct bearing on the whole training sector in Australia, including of course, the transport and logistics sector. The most relevant initiatives to our interests are comprised of three main components.

-National Workforce Development Fund.

The implementation of the National Workforce Development Fund will see the distribution of $558 million to deliver 130,000 training places nationwide, tailored to the needs of industry. The costs of training will require investment from industry, targeting an average of 50% of training costs. Funding for the Critical Skills Investment Fund, announced as part of the 2010-11 budget is included in the fund.

 A new agency, the National Workforce and Productivity Agency, will be created to administer the National Workforce Development Fund and to engage with industry and related organisations. Skills Australia will also be merged into the new agency to create Skills Connect which will distribute funds through the ISCs on an ongoing basis rather than in funding rounds, as originally envisaged. Skills Connect hopes to establish on-going funding for training rather than holding periodic funding rounds however, employer contributions will be higher than they were in EBPPP. Under EBPPP, the Australian Government contributed 90 per cent of the total training cost for small enterprises, 75 per cent of the cost of training for medium sized organisations  and 50 per cent for large organisations. The new program will see large enterprises contribute 66 per cent of the cost of training, medium enterprises 50 per cent and small enterprises 33 per cent.

To find out more about Skills Connect, you can email them at SkillsConnect@deewr.gov.au or you might also want to fill out a Request for Assistance Form, which you can find here. Forward the form to Skills Connect and a specialist will get in touch to discuss what assistance might be available to suit your needs.


The TLISC have recently announced that they are in negotiations with more than 50 enterprises to submit applications for funding to the new National Workforce Development Fund (NWDF). Though the first round of funding has already taken place, there is still some clarification required as to how exactly this program will be implemented.

The second round of funding has recently been announced by the TLISC and Service Skills Australia. Proposals or Expressions of Interest should be forwarded as appropriate.

This link is an important resource relating to national funding initiatives for training.

-Apprenticeships

$201 million is being provided to reform apprenticeships through mentoring of 40,000 apprentices and modernizing the apprenticeship system. From July 1st next year, school students will be able to commence a new National Trade Cadetship - a recognized academic pathway for apprenticeships. Competency based progression recognizes skills and allows faster completion of their courses. From January 1st this year, eligible apprentices will have been able to receive tax-free bonus payments, up to $5,500 as they reach key milestones in their training. 

-Building better skills for workforce participation -

Strong reform criteria have been attached to the five year $7 billion commitment to the state and territories regarding the vocational education and training sector to increase completion rates and improve performance and industry responsiveness. $263 million will also be invested in helping people attain and improve such skills as reading, writing and numeracy skills.


Below is a graphical representation of the overall plan from the Building Australia's Future Workforce document

 


 

 

TLISC E-Scan 2012

The new TLISC E-Scan 2012 has recently been released.

Key focus areas of the 2012 E-Scan

Discussion of the impact of the following issues on the Transport and Logistics Industry:

  •     Major business challenges facing the industry and their potential impact on skill requirements
  •     Anticipated skill and labour demands for each of the industry sectors
  •     Skilling needs to meet technology and safety developments in new vehicles
  •     Industry responses to changing skill demands


Key issues affecting workforce development in the Transport and Logistics Industry including:

  •     Skill shortages in each of the industry sectors
  •     Recent changes to TLISC Training Packages
  •     Training Package improvements planned for the next 12 months
  •     Results of TLISC’s 2012 E-scan survey