Employability Skills for the Future

Abstract

Australia is the 14th largest economy in the world. It has achieved this position through a decade of change and economic growth and a strong focus on productivity improvements (International Monetary Fund, 2001). Australian enterprises, in recognition of the economic challenges and globalisation, have implemented a range of strategies to support growth and increase their international competitiveness. Allen Consulting (2000) advised that such strategies included: multiskilling; greater automation; and workforce restructuring. Three recent government reports, Backing Australias Ability (2001), Knowledge and Innovation (1999) and Investing for Growth (1997), highlight the positioning of Australia as an international player in the knowledge economy and the need to continue building Australias capacity to effectively operate in the global knowledge-based economy. They outline a series of government initiatives targeting research and development, commercialisation, venture capital and technology diffusion. These reports discuss how Australia will effectively respond to globalisation and the knowledge economy. They note the importance of knowledge work and knowledge workers to Australias economic success. Signifi cantly, the authors discussed the need to ensure the Australian community understands the broad issues underpinning globalisation and the knowledge economy, but more particularly they considered the need to create a community equipped to understand and participate in ongoing change. Education and training providers will have a key role in equipping the community for this challenge. Enterprises continue to focus on adaptation, cost reduction, increased productivity and new markets and/or new products and services. Enterprise choices with regard to recruitment and training are largely being driven by these business strategy directions. In this environment, there is an increasing requirement for employees to be able to support increased competitiveness, innovation, flexibility and client focus. Enterprises are increasingly seeking a more highly skilled workforce where the generic and transferable skills are broadly distributed across the organisation. There has been broad agreement that all young people need a set of personal attributes and skills that will prepare them for both employment and further learning. It is also recognised that the ongoing employability of individuals is dependent on them having a set of relevant skills, as well as a capacity to learn how to learn new things. However, what has been less clear is what these atttributes and skills should be in the context of challenges facing Australian industry. The Business Council of Australia (BCA) and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) judged that it was timely to obtain the views of industry to assist in the development of a comprehensive framework of employability skills. They sought assistance from the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) and the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA). It was recognised that such a framework of employability skills would need to be relevant to small, medium and large enterprises and able to support the future needs of Australian industry.