Update on the National Foundation Skills Strategy
Through the National Skills Agreement, the Commonwealth, State and Territory Skills Ministers agreed to develop a 10‑year National Foundation Skills Strategy by the end of 2024 to strengthen the quality and sustainability of the sector.
A Commonwealth-State working group was established earlier this year to develop the Strategy.
The working group has now developed a high-level document that includes focus areas where actions need to occur.
These focus areas include
- access to Foundation Skills training,
- sector workforce development, and
- mechanisms and governance arrangements underpinning the foundation skills sector. Improved data and research is important to all focus areas.
The Strategy was recently considered and agreed by Skills and Workforce Ministerial Council (SWMC), and is available on the DEWR website here: National Foundation Skills Strategy 2025–2035 – Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Australian Government
The Strategy will be delivered through an action plan to be agreed and funded through decisions of the Skills and Workforce Ministerial Council in 2025. Funding of $53 million over five years is available under the National Skills Agreement to support activities. In 2025, governments will engage with key national, state and territory stakeholders, and partner with First Nations organisations and communities to develop initiatives and actions to operationalise the vision and national focus areas of the Strategy.
ACTA Vice-President, Helen Moore, represents ACTA on the DEWR Foundation Skills Advisory Committee, which will be involved in consultations on the Strategy in 2025.
Please contact her at if you have any issues you would like her to raise through this group.