Skills for Sustainability

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Skills for Sustainability
Presentation to the CEET Conference October 30,
2009 Virginia Simmons CEO, Chisholm Institute
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Purpose

• To provide an overview of the state of play
  with respect
• to the government expectations and actions
  concerning
• the implementation of Green Skills in VET. This
  involves
• The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister
• The Ministerial Council for Tertiary Education
  and Employment (MCTEE), previously MCVTE
• Multiple federal and state government departments
• The National Quality Council
• Industry Skills Councils

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Sustainability Skills a National Priority

• In November 2008 the Ministerial Council
  requested the
• National Quality Council to incorporate a Green
  Skills
• strategy into its 2009 workplan
• to give priority to developing flexible and
  responsive training products that include
  embedding sustainability skills in all training
  packages, skills sets and customised short
  accredited courses
• to develop appropriate standards as part of the
  Australian Quality Training Framework for
  voluntary certification of RTOs as providers of
  Green Skills
• and report on progress by November 2009

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International Pressure

• Bonn Declaration - UNESCO
• The UNESCO World Conference on Education for
• Sustainable Development held in April 2009
  announced
• that there is a need to
• Re-orient education and training systems to
  address sustainability concerns through coherent
  policies at national and local levels

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International Pressure
Copenhagen Climate Change Conference December 7
18, 2009 Legislation setting up an
Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), also known as a
carbon pollution reduction scheme (CPRS) is
being debated in the lower house this week where
Labor has the numbers to force its passage to the
Senate.
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Clean Sustainable Skills Package 94m

• On July 30, 2009 the Prime Minister announced
• 10,000 places for young job seekers to build
  their skills through participating in an
  environmental work experience and training
  program
• 30,000 apprentices in carbon exposed industries
  will graduate over the next two years with
  qualifications that include clean and green
  skills, and all new apprentices commencing after
  1 January 2010 will graduate with a core set of
  green skills, knowledge and training
• 4,000 training opportunities for insulation
  installers upon completion of their employment in
  this field
• 6,000 local green jobs in projects funded by the
  Local Jobs stream of the Jobs Fund

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Key Documents and Stakeholders
Each state and territory has its own policy
requirements for RTOs. For example, the Our
Environment, Our Future - Sustainability Action
Statement 2006, Department of Sustainability and
Environment Victoria is the basis for Skills
Victorias sustainability targets for TAFE
Institutes
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Key Documents and Stakeholders
Living Sustainably Australian Governments
National Action Plan for Education for
Sustainability 2009 Department of Environment,
Water, Heritage the Arts

• Strategy 2 Re-orienting Education Systems to
  Sustainability
• Objective The VET sector incorporates
  sustainability in all national training packages
  and implements sustainable campus management
• 6 actions to support this objective
• Parallel approaches for schools and Higher
  Education

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Key Documents and Stakeholders
Environmental Sustainability An Industry
Response, May 2009

• Produced by Industry Skills Councils
• Identifies 120 specific units of competency
  relating to sustainability in 25 training
  packages, referenced to about 270 qualifications
• Identifies issues to consider in different
  industries

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Key Documents and Stakeholders
National VET Sector Sustainability Policy and
Action Plan (2009 -2012) auspiced by MCTEE and
produced by the National VET Sector
Sustainability Action Group

• 24 key actions under four headings
• Developing a Workforce Skilled for Sustainability
• Providing VET system products and services that
  support skills for sustainability
• Encouraging the adoption of sustainability
  values, principles and practices by VET leaders,
  partners and champions
• Reducing the VET sector carbon footprint

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National Green Skills Agreement

• Draft prepared in September by National VET
  Sector Sustainability Action Group, consisting of
  senior officials from all States and territories
• Considers the skills and training implications of
  transitioning to a low carbon, sustainable
  economy
• Presented by the Deputy Prime Minister at a Forum
  on October 23. To be considered by MCTEE in
  November and COAG in December
• Trigger for requirement that ISCs embed
  sustainability skills in all Training Packages by
  March 31, 2010.

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National Green Skills Agreement

• Major focus on VET with four key objectives
• Embedding sustainability practice and teaching in
  VET within the national regulatory framework
• Up-skilling of of VET instructors and teachers to
  deliver skills for sustainability
• Strategic review of training packages to embed
  sustainability knowledge skills and principles
• Implementing a transition strategy to re-skill
  vulnerable workers

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NQC Responses (1)

• 1. Sustainability Skills Stocktake and Gap
  Analysis
• Analysis complete, progress report received and
  consultations underway
• Possible points of intervention foreshadowed
• Identify gaps in units/qualifications and fill
  them
• Modify existing units/qualifications
• Add resource materials to focus on inferred
  sustainability skills
• Conduct PD for trainers/assessors/others
• Prioritise occupations and apply 1 4 above
• Create a single reference point for communication

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Economic Activities in the Green Economy
Clean Energy
Energy Material Efficiency
Environmental Resource Management
Environmental Services
Cleaner Production Diversification
Power Generation Cleantech Infrastucture Power
Storage Technology Transport Sustainable
Biofuels
Energy Intensive Manufacturing Engineering

Manufacturing Services Business
Services Retail Services
Advanced Materials Building
Efficiency Power Grid Efficiency Materials
Management
Water Agriculture Waste Management Land
Management Protection
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NQC Responses (2)

• 2. AQTF Standards Framework for Green Skills
  Providers
• 10 draft standards developed, ready to be tested
• Matching against AQTF Excellence Criteria
  Leadership (2), Learning Assessment (2), People
  Development (2), Relationship Management (2),
  Integrated Information Management (2)
• Key issues identified for feedback from RTOs and
  users of the training system

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Standards for Green Skills Providers

• Narrow focus on green skills delivery, not
  operations or
• infrastructure - carbon footprint.
• Delivery issues include responding to
• Creation of new jobs e.g. a carbon auditor
• Job substitution e.g. shifting from land filling
  and incineration of waste to waste minimisation
  and recycling
• Job realignment e.g. a builder whose existing
  skills are increasingly applied to creating more
  energy efficient buildings

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Some Standards Issues

• Green stands aligned with or separate from AQTF
  Excellence Criteria - aligned
• Green standards pre-requisite to or independent
  of assessment against Excellence Criteria? -
  independent
• Assessment at RTO or industry sector level?
  industry sector
• Emphasis on green skills needs to emphasised
  not a comment on the carbon footprint

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Some Sustainability Issues for NQC

• Mindset or learnt skill? - mindset
• Built in (culture) or bolt on (compliance)?
  culture
• Enduring or flavor of the month? enduring
  parallel with quality
• Existing or new skills - both
• Training Packages vs accredited programs -
  contentious
• How to support Clean Sustainable Skills Package
  priorities emphasis on apprenticeships

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Some Employer Issues

• Sustainability sound business practice or green
  for its own sake?
• Waste minimisation is bottom-line in some
  industries, less so in others
• Employers will respond to consumer demand
• Role of incentives e.g. rebates

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Some Provider Issues

• Perceived value of obtaining a green tick
• Predicting and responding to new and emerging
  occupations
• Training packages and accredited programs speed
  of response
• Scope of registration may influence which green
  units of competency can be imported into training
  packages

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Thank you