Our team was delighted to meet with stakeholders on Ngunnawal Country for HumanAbility’s Canberra Forum in October.
Discussions centred on the workforce and training challenges experienced by our five sectors alongside the opportunities and solutions already in play.
The ACT’s smaller size was celebrated as a significant advantage in improving industry training outcomes.
‘I think paid placements would be a really good thing to start with across the HumanAbility portfolio,’ said Sam Mills from the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT).
A key issue raised was the competition for staff between employers and the large public service.
Other challenges noted by Forum participants included limited career pathways, highly feminised roles, and the evolving needs of next-generation workers when it comes to attracting and retaining a skilled workforce.
‘There are issues for the part of the sector that are credentialed workforce but other issues for those of us who are working where there are not mandated qualifications, where credentials or registration aren’t required,’ said CIT’s Karen Noble.
Despite these challenges, participants noted the ACT's size advantage when fostering strong partnerships between training organisations, service providers and government bodies to improve training outcomes.
‘The interconnection across areas is really beneficial at these kinds of events and getting to talk to people that might not be your usual stakeholder group,’ said Caitlin Pratt, Department of Social Services.
