Real insights come from listening. Our inaugural Roadshow took HumanAbility across the country from capital cities to regional hubs to hear directly from the people who make our sectors work.
We held sessions in person, online and launched consultation on three new training package development projects: Early Childhood Education and Care, Career Development and Employment Services, and Dental.
The Roadshow reflected the diversity of our sectors. Education and training providers, employers, peak bodies and government were all represented, even when sessions weren’t directly related to their sector.
That breadth matters: it tells us the conversations we're leading resonate well beyond any single qualification review.
But despite that diversity, these conversations highlighted the common challenges that our sectors are confronting.
From the smallest towns to the biggest cities, we heard about:
These challenges were compounded in regional and remote areas of Australia.
The solutions raised centred on training system reform and building deeper partnerships between employers and training providers. We also heard about the importance of strengthening career pathways, promoting our careers in school, and focusing on diversity and inclusion to make sure our sectors are open to all.
One clear policy priority emerged: strengthening mentoring, supervision and professional development opportunities for new learners and experienced workers alike.
Strong support also emerged for unlocking the potential of VET, building workforce pipelines and mobility, and improving skills recognition, including recognition of prior learning and lived experience.
In addition to these shared themes, every location had its own focus:
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Cairns put placement opportunities front and centre, along with the need for student incentives and strong local employer partnerships, particularly in early childhood, to help committed students complete their qualifications.
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Brisbane focused on calls for better employment conditions and stronger career pathways to attract and retain workers, as well as role-specific qualifications, and a workforce equipped for specialised needs such as Auslan, dementia care and English-language support.
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Sydney participants also raised retention and placement issues, the English language skills students need to succeed, and a push to recognise ECEC study within the senior secondary curriculum so it can count towards a student's ATAR.
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Adelaide called for greater recognition of the value of care, education and community services work, sustainable funding for training, and regional, place-based solutions backed by better workforce planning and data.
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Perth focused on barriers to training participation access to face-to-face learning, releasing staff for development and called for paid placements, investment in Aboriginal community-controlled services, and locally based recruitment.
So, what happens next? This is the part that matters most. Your insights shape our work. What we heard feeds directly into research already underway, including Enrolments and Completions, Microcredentials, Earn While You Learn and VET Workforce.
It will also be invaluable for projects in planning, including a dedicated Regional and Remote research piece. These conversations also inform our qualification reviews, our policy submissions, and our ongoing work on occupation lists and the Apprentice Priority List.
In short: what you told us is already informing what we prioritise, the projects we pursue, and the advice we give to industry and government. It will continue to be referenced well into the future.
To everyone who took part: thank you. Meeting you and hearing how these national reforms play out in your everyday work will help us to strengthen the sectors we represent.
Your insights are shaping what comes next.