Organisation Profile
Issue No. 32 - December/January
Skilled approach to jobs revolution
Elizabeth Lendrum gets straight to the point when discussing South Australia’s future workforce requirements – which is well when attempting to solve an entirely new problem.
Elizabeth is the EO of the new Business Services Industry Skills Board of SA Inc, one of nine new training advisory entities funded by the State Government. The boards have replaced the Industry Training Advisory Board system dismantled some time ago.
ITABs developed core compentencies for a wide range of jobs under the National Training Authority; as new jobs evolved, the mix of industry, government and union board members determined competencies and advised TAFEs and other educational institutions.
Funding for ITABs ceased at the turn of the millennium, but in 2004-05 the State Government began recreating this vital rung of the training ladder. The new industry skills boards have a different focus, but business again has a say in workforce development.
Business Services ISB executive officer Elizabeth Lendrum says some of the nine ISBs are “greenfields” efforts in that the sectors they handle have not been analysed before.
But even the relatively advanced Business Services body has its work cut out as jobs have evolved so quickly in recent years.
As well as the BSISB there are boards in Food, Tourism and Hospitality; Health and Community; Construction; Manufacturing; Services; Electrical, Electrotechnology, Energy and Water; Primary Industries; Transport and Distribution skill sectors.
Their task is to look at workforce capability in their areas, determine how that workforce will change, anticipate the demands to be made on it, and make recommendations to government and educators.
While the ITABs developed training regimes for jobs, ISBs will advise on what’s needed to create an adequate workforce.
“Training, if you like, is an end product,” Elizabeth says.
“The most fundamental thing for us, sitting in SA, ...
