Shaping our Future sets out the vision, objectives and broad strategies for progressing vocational education and training (VET) in Australia until the end of the decade. Shaping our Future is a commitment by government training ministers to continue to work in partnership with industry, providers and other parties to develop training across Australia. It builds on the achievements of two previous national strategies, A Bridge to the Future (1998-2003) and Towards A Skilled Australia (1994-1998). Shaping our Future guides VET planning for states and territories, and priority setting and resource allocation arrangements for VET across Australia. Each year the Ministerial Council for Vocational and Technical Education considers a progress report on the implementation of Shaping our Future.
Read Shaping our Future: Australia's National Strategy for VET 2004-2010
The following goals, objectives and priorities are shared by Australian governments, and are found in the funding agreement, 2005-08 Commonwealth-State Agreement for Skilling Australia’s Workforce.
National goals and objectives
- Industry will have a highly skilled workforce to support strong performance in the global economy.
- Employers and individuals will be at the centre of vocational education and training.
- Communities and regions will be strengthened economically and socially through learning and employment.
- Indigenous Australians will have skills for viable jobs and their learning culture will be shared.
National priorities
- Improving the system’s responsiveness to rapid changes in demand for skills development and addressing skills shortages, especially in traditional trades and in emerging industries.
- Delivering improved outcomes for employers, individuals and communities.
- Improving quality.
- Increasing participation and up-skilling mature age workers.
- Encouraging greater re-engagement in training by Australians who are not fully participating in the labour market.