ATSE welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations’ discussion paper on foundation skills training in remote Australia. Boosting foundational skills is critical not only to uplift individuals and communities, but also to fill skills shortages within communities. We note that successful foundation skills programs will require dedicated resourcing for appropriate, on-country delivery as well as monitoring and evaluation. ATSE makes the following recommendations for consideration in the design of foundation skills training in remote Australia:
Recommendation 1: That the foundation skills remote program development is guided by a National Skills Taxonomy that is inclusive of Traditional Knowledge.
Recommendation 2: That the foundation skills remote program is designed to be compatible with lifelong learning initiatives including those outlined in the Employment White Paper.
Recommendation 3: That foundation skills program attainment is recorded and verified in a government-operated system.
Recommendation 4: That digital literacy is embedded into the design of foundation skills programs.
Recommendation 5: That the revitalisation of foundation skills programs includes plans for supporting infrastructure, including improving internet access to facilitate remote learning and use of chatbots to supplement in-person learning and teaching.
Recommendation 6: That the foundation skills program interfaces with Department of Education initiatives to increase the size of the remote specialist foundation skills teaching workforce.
