IBSA Submission to the Review of National Innovation System
Innovation and Business Skills Australia (IBSA) believes there are critical points in Australia’s systems for workforce development that the Review of Australia’s National Innovation System will need to tackle. IBSA’s submission stresses that the skills and capabilities of the current and future workforce are central to the success of an innovation economy. Based on IBSA’s work with stakeholders in industry and the VET system, a need can be seen for new approaches and solutions for equipping individuals and organisations with the capabilities required for success in an innovation economy.
IBSA recognises that it has an important role to play as
an enabler of innovation by contributing to workforce capability and capacity
building. Actions that IBSA can take to support innovation through workforce
development have been identified in IBSA’s Blueprint for Action on Innovation . In implementing the Blueprint IBSA aims to continue working with key players to advance Australia’s national innovation system.
In summary, IBSA believes the Review should make recommendations that will:
- Ensure that all Australians have the core skills
(language, literacy and numeracy) on which to build their capability for
innovation. There is a need for:
- the development of a national adult literacy policy
- expansion and enhancement of the Workplace English
Language and Literacy program
- Australia’s participation in the OECD longitudinal study to assess adult competencies
- Equip all workforce participants with ICT skills and
understanding.
- Develop education and training approaches for the
development of group or community capability to support the collaboration and
teamwork required by innovation.
- Build flexibility into the VET system so that it can
effectively support skills development for existing workers. There is a need
for:
- funded training places to be available for existing
workers to acquire skill sets that build innovative capacity
- expansion and national roll out of successful pilots
for the engagement of SMEs in formal training
- cross-governmental approaches to develop creative incentives that encourage employers to build the skills of their existing workforce
- Support ongoing development for all VET professionals
to build their capacity to train an innovative workforce.
- Communicate findings from the Review to all other government portfolios to promote the development of integrated and internally coherent policy across the whole of government.
To view the full IBSA submission, please click here .
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