Contents · Web viewIn 2012, changes to the boundaries of some New South Wales RDA regions resulted in the Bland Shire moving from the Central West RDA region to the Riverina RDA

REGIONAL EDUCATION, SKILLS AND JOBS PLAN

New South Wales Central West

2012 2014

JULY 2013

This plan was first published in July 2012. This is the July 2013 edition.

Details in this report are correct at time of drafting.

This report can be found at the Regional Education, Skills and Jobs webpage (www.deewr.gov.au/resj) or the MyRegion website (www.myregion.gov.au).

For more information about this plan, please contact:

The Office of Regional Education, Skills and Jobs

GPO Box 9880

Canberra ACT 2601

Email: [email protected]

ISBN:

978-0-642-78613-5 [PDF]

978-0-642-78614-2 [DOCX]

With the exception of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms and where otherwise noted all material presented in this document is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/).

The details of the relevant licence conditions (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/legalcode) are available on the Creative Commons website (accessible using the links provided) as is the full legal code for the CCBY 3.0 AU licence.

The document must be attributed as the Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan 2012-14 Central West.

Disclaimer about data used in this plan

Data used in the development of this plan comes from a variety of sources and was correct at time of drafting. This document should not be used as a data source as data referred to may have been updated or reformulated since the publication of the plan. Refer to primary sources for confirmation of data.

Contents

Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plans4

Strategies4

Community engagement4

Implementation4

Executive summary5

Characteristics of the region8

Population8

Early childhood education and care9

School education10

Tertiary education and training12

Jobs, skills and workforce development13

Indigenous Australians15

Other characteristics16

Murray-Darling Basin plan16

Issues, goals and strategies17

Issue 1Closing the Gap in all areas for Indigenous Australians.18

Issue 2Communication and collaboration between agencies, both government and non-government, delivering programs and services.20

Issue 3Support early childhood education and care services to meet National Quality Framework requirements.21

Issue 4Literacy and numeracy skills are an increasing barrier to learning and school engagement, reducing the number of students who access tertiary education and training and employment.22

Issue 5Lack of access to tertiary education and training opportunities in some localities outside the larger regional centres, coupled with the need to promote existing pathways and options to local tertiary education opportunities.24

Issue 6Skills shortages in several sectors across the region, including trades, health and child care.26

Issue 7Communities are looking to adjust in response to potential changes associated with the proposed Murray Darling Basin reform.28

Appendices29

Appendix A Stakeholders29

Appendix B Existing related plans and strategies30

Abbreviations32

Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan Central West 4

www.deewr.gov.au/resj

Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plans

The Australian Government announced the Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plans initiative in the 201112 Budget, as part of the Building Australias Future Workforce package. The initiative addresses four key areas of the Australian Governments productivity and social inclusion agendas: early childhood education and care; Year 12 attainment; participation in vocational and higher education; and local job opportunities.

The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) has deployed 34 Regional Education, Skills and Jobs (RESJ) Coordinators to work with local stakeholders to develop Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plans for the 46 Regional Development Australia (RDA) areas that cover non-metropolitan Australia.

The plans present locally identified opportunities and challenges and outline local strategies to improve education, skills and jobs outcomes in regional Australia.

For more information, including the contact details of your local RESJ Coordinator, please refer to the Regional Education, Skills and Jobs webpage at www.deewr.gov.au/resj.

Strategies

Each plan reflects community priorities and includes goals and local strategies to achieve the communitys objectives, based on four key themes: early childhood education and care; school education; tertiary education and training; and jobs, skills and workforce development.

The plans build on the range of services and programs already offered by DEEWR and the strategies draw on the programs of other government agencies and the opportunities arising from major local projects.

Community engagement

The plans were developed by RESJ Coordinators with close community engagement and include views from young people, parents, employers, educators, service providers, peak bodies, community leaders, government organisations and agencies, and other interested individuals and organisations. The plans draw strongly upon existing strategic plans in each region, including the local RDA regional plan.

DEEWR acknowledges the traditional owners of the Central West RDA region and their elders past and present recognising their continuing connection to country. This plan strives to build and harness mutually respectful relationships and reflect community priorities in education, skills and jobs development for the region.

Implementation

The RESJ Coordinator, on behalf of DEEWR, will oversee the implementation of the strategies and promote and coordinate linkages between the government agencies, providers and stakeholders involved in this plans implementation.

Progress towards achieving the goals within each plan will be closely monitored, while stakeholders will be kept informed through participation in plan strategies.

This edition incorporates strategies that respond to changes in local circumstances identified through continuing community input or changing government priorities in regional Australia as well as access to new data. The plans continue to be living and responsive documents that will be revisited throughout their implementation to June 2014.

Executive summary

The Central West RDA region of New South Wales, characterised by its fine food and wines, extends from the temperate, elevated Central Tablelands on the western side of the Blue Mountains, almost 500 km west to the semi arid Central West plains. The population of approximately 173,000 is centred around the major cities and key service centres of Bathurst and Orange. The major industries in the region are agriculture, mining, manufacturing, public administration, education, healthcare and hospitality. It is covered by 11 Local Government Areas (LGAs): Cabonne, Cowra, Bathurst, Blayney, Forbes, Lachlan, Lithgow, Oberon, Orange, Parkes and Weddin. In 2012, changes to the boundaries of some New South Wales RDA regions resulted in the Bland Shire moving from the Central West RDA region to the Riverina RDA region. This change is reflected in the revised Central West and Riverina RESJ Plans.

The region is the traditional lands of the Wiradjuri people.

A comprehensive environmental scan and community consultations have been carried out to identify the key education, skills and jobs challenges for the region. The challenges include:

Closing the Gap targets for Indigenous Australians in early childhood education, Year 12 attainment, literacy and numeracy and employment outcomes

early childhood education and care reform agenda in the region

falling levels of literacy and numeracy, which are an increasing barrier to progression through schooling into tertiary education and onwards to training and employment

the number of students in the region who complete Year 12

low proportion of the regions population with tertiary education and training qualifications

existing and emerging skill shortages in a number of occupations

communication, collaboration and delivery of programs and services between all levels of government and the non-government sector.

The key goals of this RESJ Plan are to:

improve Indigenous Australians access to and participation in education, skills development and employment at all levels

help early childhood education and care providers to meet the requirements of the early childhood and care reform agenda

contribute to improving literacy and numeracy levels

contribute to increasing the number of students who complete Year 12

improve access to, and participation in, tertiary education and training

contribute to increasing the number of workers in the region with the skills and qualifications to meet current and emerging needs of employers

facilitate a more coordinated and responsive whole-of-community approach to the delivery of programs and services.

The region has a RDA Committee with a broad plan including education, skills and employment opportunities. This RESJ Plan complements the goals and strategies in the RDA plan.

Some outcomes achieved by the RESJ Coordinator working with local stakeholders include:

Assisting in the Central West Skills and Industry Roundtable, held in Orange on 22 February 2012. The RESJ Coordinator was on the organising committee and assisted with the agenda, invitations, facilitation, and logistics to support the event. The RESJ Coordinator arranged a presentation on the local labour market by DEEWR and sponsorship support. It was attended by over 60 representatives from education, government, industry and community. At the event, nine key regional priorities were identified, one of which focuses on industry based literacy and numeracy, with the responses being coordinated through the Central West Education, Skills and Industry Community (CWESIC).

Leading the Central West Literacy and Numeracy Working Group, which was established by CWESIC to respond to the key regional priority of workplace based literacy and numeracy. The group consists of representatives from the NSW Department of Education and Communities (DEC), Region 19 Partnership Broker, Skills for Education and Employment (SEE, formerly known as Language Literacy and Numeracy Program) providers and an Industry Skills Council representative. The Group is working on a number of strategies to respond to the identified need to improve workplace based literacy and numeracy including:

the creation of a literacy and numeracy resource which will outline available resources within the region, and

engagement with Job Services Australia Providers, SEE providers, Workplace English Language and Literacy providers, employer groups and events and schools to raise the awareness of each others programs and to increase program uptake

Successful implementation of these strategies could realistically facilitate up to 50 students, employers/employees and job seekers being actively supported in subject choice, career aspirations, workforce development, improved literacy and numeracy and employment outcomes over the next 12 months.

Facilitating and organising a presentation on the results of a survey on Employer Recruitment Experiences in the Windamere Employment Service Area in September 2012. The presentation provided the latest information on labour market conditions in the Windamere region, including local labour market opportunities for job seekers and the outlook for the labour market. 26representatives from Job Services Australia and Disability Employment Services providers, government and Indigenous organisations attended. Stakeholders have indicated that the information was highly relevant and allows staff to target interventions in a more strategic and effective way. Stakeholders are sharing the information internally across their business areas and strategies are being developed to target particular cohorts of job seekers to maximise the identified job opportunities. These include:

pre-vocational training in Blue Card and White Card in Lithgow

other pre-vocational courses which are being conducted weekly including introduction to computers, resume writing, dealing with conflict in the workplace and cold canvassing

a retail course in Lithgow which resulted in an employment outcome in March 2013.

Planning and facilitating a meeting between TAFE Western and NSW DEC representatives to share information on TAFE expectations of students undertakingtraining comparedto its experiences in terms of literacy and numeracy. All parties agreed it was a productive conversation with:

NSW DEC and the RESJ Coordinator achieving a better understanding of TAFE Western expectations

NSW DEC agreeing to review the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF), which TAFE Western uses to develop its courses,to identify gaps in the curriculum; and

an in principle agreement for TAFE Western to provide training to NSW DEC teachers on the ACSF.

It was also agreed that it would be useful for secondary school teachers to undertake Graduate Certificate training designed to assist them to address identified gaps in student literacy and numeracy. Preliminary discussions are being held as to what this might look like.

Characteristics of the region

This section sets out the characteristics of the region identified through a comprehensive environmental scan and local consultations. The information detailed in this section is not exhaustive of the characteristics of the region, but provides an overview and insight to some of the challenges facing the region.

To guide the RESJ Coordinators identification of issues and engagement with the community, various data sets have supported the development of this plan. Data used in the development of this plan was sourced from DEEWR, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and other relevant sources. Data referred to may have been reformulated and was correct at time of drafting. Different data sets are refreshed at different intervals, for example, unemployment rates are updated monthly for national and state/territory figures and quarterly for regions.

Population

The Central West RDA region stretches from the Lithgow LGA in the east through to the Lachlan LGA in the west, and south through the Weddin, Cowra and Oberon LGAs. The Lachlan LGA is the most northern part of the region.

The ABS Estimated Residential Population (ERP) as at 30 June 2010 was 172,211, increasing to 173,360 at 30 June 2011. This represents an increase of 1,149 people (approximately 0.7%).

The Orange LGA had the largest ERP increase between 2010 and 2011 of 686 people( 1.8%). Three LGAs demonstrated negative growth rates Oberon (16 people, or 0.3%), Forbes (6 people, or 0.1%) and Cowra (77 people, or 0.6%).

The 2011 Census reveals that the national median age is 37 years. In the Central West, the median age ranges from 36 to 47 years across LGAs, with an average of 41. This indicates an ageing population, which will add strain to services and reduce the pool of labour as people retire. Table 1 provides more detail about population characteristics in the region.

Table 1: Population numbers and growth in region

Local Government Area

2006 Census (No.)

2010 ABS estimate (No.)

Increase (%)

Bathurst

39,645

39,936

0.7

Orange

38,794

39,480

1.8

Blayney

7,134

7,186

0.7

Oberon

5,223

5,207

-0.3

Cabonne

13,121

13,188

0.5

Lithgow

20,753

20,790

0.2

Parkes

15,017

15,084

0.4

Bland

9,477

9,471

-0.1

Forbes

12,603

12,526

-0.6

Cowra

3,721

3,734

0.4

Weddin

6,723

6,758

0.5

Lachlan

172,211

173,360

0.7

Total

39,645

39,936

0.7

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Early childhood education and care

The ERP at 30 June 2011 reveals that approximately 20.8 per cent of the population in the Central West is 0 to 14 years. Australian Government funding supports 80 early childhood education and care services in the region, delivered by 68 providers. There are four before school care services, 12 after school care services, 40long day care services, seven family day care services, 13 vacation care services and four mobile child care services.

Community consultations indicate that the early childhood workforce within the region requires further development to meet the requirements of the National Quality Framework, particularly in relation to staff ratios and staff qualifications. The loss of teachers to higher wage industries, such as mining, means that the existing early childhood education and care workforce needs to be supported with training pathways and recognition of prior learning.

The Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) measures young childrens development across five domains: physical health and well-being, social competence, emotional maturity, school-based language and cognitive skills, and general knowledge. 2009 AEDI data indicated at a national level, 23.6 per cent of children were vulnerable on one or more domain and 11.8 per cent were vulnerable on two or more domains. The AEDI found that in the Central West RDA region, the communities of Cabonne and Lithgow had the lowest proportions of vulnerable children for the region, less than the national rates on both measures. However, the AEDI communities of Lachlan and Parkes had the highest proportions of vulnerable childrenmore than the national averages on both measures.

The Central West RDA region will take a broad approach to address its early childhood education and care challenges. This will include forging stronger linkages between early childhood education and care providers; coordinating regional resource sharing; ensuring that existing initiatives for workforce training and development are linked and expanded; using programs such as the National Workforce Development Fund; and developing specialist Indigenous workforce strategies and support mechanisms to encourage greater access by Indigenous children and families.

The Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters (HIPPY) operates in Bowenfels. HIPPY supports parents and children in the year before formal education with pre-literacy and pre-numeracy skills. Further support into the first year of formal schooling extends this support to focus on childrens learning and development.

School education

The My School website lists 133 schools across the Central West RDA region. They include 72government primary schools, 22 non-government primary schools, 13 government secondary schools, five non-government secondary schools, nine government combined schools, nine non-government combined schools and three government special schools.

There is a spread of mostly non-government primary and combined schools in the smaller towns and villages of the region, with secondary schools generally confined to larger regional centres. There are also non-government boarding schools at Forbes, Orange and Bathurst.

The National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) gauges the literacy and numeracy achievements of students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in all Australian schools.

Literacy and numeracy achievements for the Central West RDA region are indicated by NAPLAN results for the NSW Department of Education and Communities (DEC) Western Region, although the two regions do not precisely correspond. According to NSW DEC, in the DEC Western Region, the percentage of students who sat NAPLAN in 2010 who were at or above the minimum standard for reading and numeracy was below the New South Wales average for Years 3 to 9. The gap between the DEC Western Region results and the DEC New South Wales average is greatest at Year 5.

NSW DEC also provides information about Year 12 attainment in NSW government schools. In the DEC Western Region in 2011 the apparent retention rate between Years 7 to 12 was 52.8 per cent, compared with the New South Wales average of 70.5 per cent. The retention rate has improved by four percentage points from 2010 and comparatively to the New South Wales rate, which increased by 2.1 percentage points in the same period. This indicates that strategies that have been implemented to improve retention rates in the Central West RDA region by NSW DEC are gaining traction and the retention rate is improving at a higher rate than in other regions in New South Wales.

The Central West RDA region will need to continue to address literacy and numeracy development and reduce school disengagement. Strategies could include:

working with schools and DEC to ensure that schools are aware of programs and initiatives that support literacy and numeracy development

sharing best practice

ensuring literacy and numeracy training is relevant to students interests and career aspirations

collaborating with the School Business Community Partnership Brokers

raising students aspirations to attend Year 12 and beyond.

The Trade Training Centres (TTC) in Schools Program will provide $2.5 billion from 2008 to 2018 to enable secondary schools across Australia to seek funding for TTCs. This program allows students from Years 9-12 to access vocational education and training through TTCs to give them a broader range of options, to help improve Year 12 retention rates and enhance pathways into vocational careers. The TTC in Schools Program supports the implementation of the National Trade Cadetship initiative, which will be an option for students in Years 9 12 under the National Curriculum and will be delivered through TTCs and other accredited training providers.

TTCs in the region provide qualifications in carpentry, engineering, mechanical and metal trades and hospitality via School-based Apprenticeships and Traineeships (SbATs). NSW DEC data as at 3 December 2012 reveal that approximately 114 government school students are enrolled in School-based Traineeships and five in School-based Apprenticeships in the Central West. Some schools in the region have no students enrolled in SbATs. Feedback from consultations has suggested several barriers schools face in taking up the SbATs program including:

a lack of knowledge about SbATS by parents and employers

a lack of engagement from industry

the geographical access to the TAFE-delivered vocational education and training component of the program.

TTCs in the region can use various strategies to increase the uptake of SbATs. For example, they can:

collaborate with, and influence, stakeholders, including other schools

engage with TAFE Western to deliver the TAFE Western Connect initiative to more communities

work with DEC, Regional Development Australia and School Business Community Partnership Brokers to showcase TTCs to business and industry representatives across the region.

NSW DEC has provided feedback on the reasons for students disengagement from schools in the region. The feedback suggests that in some locations there are enhanced employment opportunities for middle-band students, who are the target group for SbATs. As a result, these students are tending to leave school and enter the workforce before they complete the Higher School Certificate. Students in the cohort remaining in school education tend to have specific challenges which may be compounded by a lack of resources in some schools. Early intervention to reduce disengagement of students is required.

Tertiary education and training

There are four Australian Apprenticeships Centres (AACs) and TAFE Western that service the Central West RDA region. The TAFE Riverina Institute services Lake Cargelligo.

According to State Training Services (STS), as at November 2012 there were 1632 apprentices and 2765traineesor 1312 existing workers and 1453 new entrants in trainingin the Central West RDA region. The large majority are working towards Certificate III level qualifications.

STS advises that completion rates in the region are above the state and national averages. However, employers have identified that there are skills shortages in a number of positions requiring qualifications, indicating a need to further improve the levels of completion. New strategies linking AACs and STS activities will improve completion rates in the region.

An initiative of TAFE Western is TAFE Western Connect, which provides opportunities for students in the region to complete their TAFE training without having to attend traditional classes. It uses flexible methods and technology to offer training and assessment, including online courses, mobile learning units and connected classrooms.

Data from the 2011 Census reveal that the percentage of residents in the Central West who had achieved post-school qualifications was lower than the state and national averages at all levels except certificate qualification level. The percentage of Central West residents who had achieved certificate-level tertiary qualifications was higher than the state and national averages. Table 2 provides more detail on post-school qualifications.

Table 2: Post-school qualifications: Central West, NSW and Australia (% of 2011 ERP )

Level of Post-school education

Central West (%)

NSW (%)

National (%)

Postgraduate degree

1.19

3.29

2.83

Graduate diploma / graduate certificate

0.89

1.14

1.33

Bachelor degree

6.47

10.88

10.48

Advance diploma / diploma

4.87

6.39

6.24

Certificate

16.72

13.62

14.04

Source: 2011 Census, ABS 2011 Estimated Resident Population.

Discussions with stakeholders indicate that the data on post-school qualifications reflect a number of factors, including the following:

TAFE campuses and registered training organisations are generally more widely dispersed across regional towns and centres, making them more physically accessible for potential students in the region than university campuses

people in the region lack understanding of the pathways to tertiary education

there is a lack of choice in the range of programs available for study at regional campuses.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is the largest regionally based university in Australia. In the Central West RDA region, it has campuses at Bathurst and Orange. CSU had 37,964 students in 2010, with 32,645 domestic and 5319 overseas enrolments. Of those, 9568 studied on campus, 23,367 by online learning and 5029 by mixed mode. Forty per cent of CSUs online learning enrolments are from rural and regional areas. CSU recognises that increasing the accessibility of regionally based higher education to regional students leads to significantly higher rates of retention of graduates in the region. For example, more than 80 per cent of its on-campus health and human services students who are from a rural or remote area are employed in rural areas after graduation.

The University of Sydney, University of Western Sydney and Notre Dame University have rural clinical schools, located at Orange, Bathurst and Lithgow respectively. These schools were established to provide non-regional medical students with periods of exposure to rural practice, with the aim of encouraging medical graduates to consider rural careers.

Feedback from consultations is that it is important to increase higher education aspiration, participation and attainment for rural and remote students. This can be achieved by expanding the range and flexibility of courses available, and by making it easier for students in the region to move from vocational education and training to university studies.

An example of the successful expansion of university centres is the Parkes Study Centre. The centre is a joint initiative between CSU, TAFE Western and Parkes Shire Council which combines TAFE and university study using infrastructure at the Parkes campus of TAFE. It includes targeted strategies to increase Indigenous and lower socioeconomic students participation in higher education.

Strategies for increasing students participation in tertiary education and training include collaboration with stakeholders including schools, TAFE, universities and the community, to raise their awareness of the existing tertiary education and training opportunities in the region.

Jobs, skills and workforce development

The Central West region economy covers a diverse range of leading industry sectors, including agriculture, mining, manufacturing, public administration, education, health care and hospitality.

The region has seen significant investment in the mining, health, education and service sectors. This includes major gold mines at Cadia Valley and Parkes, as well as smaller mines across the region. Major new hospitals have recently been established in Orange and Bathurst; and there is an expanding education sector, with CSU campuses in Orange and Bathurst.

DEEWR provides information on unemployment through its Small Area Labour Markets data. According to this data for the September quarter of 2012, the unemployment rate in the Central West RDA region overall was 4.8 per cent. The rate fell from 5.2 per cent in September 2011 while the New South Wales and national unemployment rates remained above five per cent. Table 3 provides more detail.

Table 3: Unemployment in the Central West region, September 2012


Unemployment rate (%)

Bathurst

4.5

Blayney

3.4

Cabonne

3.7

Cowra

7.0

Forbes

5.2

Lachlan

4.8

Lithgow

6.9

Oberon

3.5

Orange

3.9

Parkes

5.4

Weddin

4.2

Source: DEEWR Small Area Labour Markets data, September 2012.

The LGA with the highest rate of unemployment was Cowra (7.0%) with Blayney LGA the lowest (3.4%). DEEWR conducts a program to survey employers recruitment experiences in regions and industries across Australia. The results provide information on employers recent and expected demand for skills and labour at a local level. Table 4 lists the occupations that employers in the Central West region found difficult to fill.

Table 4: Occupations difficult to fill in the Central West region

Bachelor Degree or Higher VET Qualifications

Other Occupations

Structural steel and welding trades workers

Personal care workers

Metal fitters and machinists

Sales assistants and sales representatives

Early childhood teachers and child care workers

Bar attendants and baristas

Motor mechanics

Kitchen hands/Cooks

Welfare Support Workers

Cleaners

Human Resource Professionals

Accounting Clerks

Plumbers

Chefs

Source: DEEWR Regional and Industry Employer Surveys, NSW, 2011/12.

In feedback during consultations, employers confirmed survey results about difficulties in sourcing both tradespeople and entry-level workers, stating that they cannot compete with the higher wages offered by the expanding mining industry.

CSU advises that data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show that there will continue to be a serious inequality in the distribution of health professionals in rural and metropolitan areas and that in most rural and remote areas, including the Central West, there will be ongoing shortages of medical and allied health professionals. Health Workforce Australia is finalising a new strategy for the rural and remote area health workforce that will identify strategies to address these shortages, with a particular emphasis on improved collaboration between local health and education providers and the development of local solutions.

The DEEWR Industry Employment Projections 2011 Report estimates employment growth in Australia to 2016-17. It predicts that the strongest employment growth will occur in mining; health care and social assistance; construction and professional, scientific and technical services.

There is a need to develop strategies for the Central West RDA region to more effectively engage educators, training providers, Job Services Australia and Disability Employment Services providers and business and industry, to better tailor training and other support to the needs of the region.

Indigenous Australians

Indigenous Australians comprised around 5.6 per cent of the total population in the Central West at the time of the 2011 Census. This is over twice the national and New South Wales percentage of 2.5percent. The unemployment rate for Indigenous Australians in the region, as indicated in the 2011 Census, was 17.6percent, more than three times the regional unemployment rate of 4.8 per cent as indicated by the DEEWR Small Area Labour Market Report for September 2012.

The 2011 Census reveals that the proportion of Indigenous Australians who had completed Year 10 in the Central West was 30.1 per cent. The proportion of Indigenous Australians who had completed Year 12 was 24.1per cent. For Australia, the Year 10 completion rate was 20.9 per cent and for Year 12, 49.2percent.

2011 Census data also shows that only 3.4 per cent of Indigenous Australians aged between 15 and 24years were attending university in the Central West, compared to 13.1 per cent of non-Indigenous Australians.

The data indicates a need for targeted strategies to increase the number of Indigenous students completing Year 12 and undertaking tertiary studies and with jobs to meet the Closing the Gap agenda.

There are opportunities to increase community capacity and the ability of Indigenous communities in the region to identify and access the range of programs and support mechanisms available. There needs to be a focus on developing linkages across strategies to provide pathways to further study, qualifications and employment. For example, CSU advises that its Indigenous Education Strategy resulted in a 61percent increase in Indigenous student enrolments between 2008 and 2011. The strategy includes innovative collaborations such as the Indigenous Police Recruiting Our Way program, developed with TAFE Western and the NSW Police to increase the number of Indigenous people employed by NSW Police.

Feedback from consultations reveals fewer Indigenous students aspire to complete Year 12 and undertake tertiary education and training than non-Indigenous students. Strategies are needed, therefore, to help Indigenous students while they are still at school to build their aspirations and plan their career paths so that completing Year 12 and undertaking tertiary education and training are seen as realistic and achievable options.

Other characteristicsMurray-Darling Basin plan

On 22 November 2012, the Australian Government delivered the final Murray-Darling Basin Plan that will restore rivers to health, support regional communities and sustainable food production. The Australian Government has also committed to provide an additional $1.77 billion to relax key operating constraints and recover an additional 450GL of environmental water to look to achieve the environmental outcomes described in the 3200GL modelling and do so through projects to ensure there is no social and economic downside for communities. $5.2 billion will be spent on irrigation infrastructure that will contribute to increased irrigation productivity and provide employment benefits during design and construction phases.

Current water-related investment and the MurrayDarling Basin Plan have the potential to affect communities within the Central West region, particularly those that have a combination of high dependence on water for agriculture at the farm level and a relatively high proportion of people in the community who are employed in agriculture and downstream agri-industries.

MurrayDarling Basin communities are working with government services and RDA Central West on the development of regional economic diversification projects to develop creative, long-term solutions that will diversify their skills and economies.

Issues, goals and strategies

This section sets out the issues and goals identified through local consultation. It also details the specific strategies that will help achieve the communitys objectives. The issues and strategies will be reviewed and may be modified throughout the implementation of the plan to June 2014 to ensure they respond to emerging issues and opportunities or changing community or government priorities in the Central West RDA region.

The programs and stakeholders listed in the following tables are indicative only. Both may vary over time and any listing does not guarantee either the availability of program funding or stakeholder involvement.

The four key themes of the Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plans initiative are:


School education

Tertiary education and training

Jobs, skills and workforce development

The numbering of each issue is for ease of reference only and does not indicate its priority within the region. They are generally sequenced according to the life cycle of the four key themes listed above.

Issue 1 Closing the Gap in all areas for Indigenous Australians.

Goal:Improve access to education, training and employment opportunities for Indigenous Australians in the Central West.

Theme(s): Early childhood education and care; School education; Tertiary education and training; Jobs, skills and workforce development.

Strategies

Stakeholders

Programs

Work collaboratively with local stakeholders to conduct an Indigenous employment forum supporting Job Services Australia (JSA) providers to market their Indigenous job seekers to key Central West employers.

Work with the NSW Department of Education and Communities (DEC), schools and the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG) to review and implement strategies to engage Indigenous students while still at school and assist with aspiration building and career path planning.

Provide support to the Indigenous community to access funding opportunities. Actions could include alerting people to opportunities, providing information, liaising with funding providers and helping with the application process.

Support Indigenous community members to access services of agencies such as Indigenous Business Australia (IBA).

Work with, industry associations and other employer stakeholders to promote workforce development, encouraging them to consider the benefits of employing Indigenous Australians. This may include:

supporting the implementation of Indigenous Education and Employment Programs and raising awareness of other programs such as Workplace English Language and Literacy (WELL).

sharing best practice, giving examples of success stories and providing other relevant information at industry and other employer forums, on industry/ employer visits, and in response to requests for information and support from employers and stakeholders who work with employers.

Identify and support opportunities to use economic development as a driver for employment opportunities for Indigenous people.

Provide support to the Orange Indigenous community trying to establish an Indigenous preschool.

Review servicing of Indigenous clients with Job Services Australia and Disability Employment Services providers and contract managers, to influence the development and implementation of strategies to link training and support to local employer needs, and provide more targeted employment assistance. This may include facilitation of a forum that will bring together Indigenous Employment Program PanelMembers, JSA and DES providersacross a geographical location. The event would allow attendees to meet and share informationonprocessesand guidelines within their programs to increase outcomes.

Provide support to the iSmile Aboriginal Dental Nurse strategy. This may include liaising with JSA providers to source trainees to participate in the initiative, with the aim of achieving up to 15 outcomes.

Participate in the Condobolin Transition Strategy which will work to support students graduating from Condobolin High School into vocational training, tertiary studies and employment, targeting up to 30 outcomes.

Circulate details of training and employment opportunities to Indigenous organisations by email.

AECG

Charles Sturt University

Community working parties

Condobolin High School

Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism

Disability Employment Services (DES) providers

IBA

Indigenous Employment Program (IEP) panel members

Industry associations

JSA providers

Lachlan Shire Council

Local Aboriginal Land Councils

NSW Business Chamber

NSW DEC

Orange Aboriginal Medical Service

Other Aboriginal organisations

School Business Community Partnership Broker

Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) formerly known as the Language, Literacy and Numeracy Program providers

TAFE Western

Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation

WELL providers

Wiradjuri Condobolin Corporation

DES

IEP

JSA

Parental and Community Engagement Program

School Business Community Partnership Brokers

SEE

Vocational Education and Training National Support

WELL

Issue 2 Communication and collaboration between agencies, both government and non-government, delivering programs and services.

Goal:Develop a better coordinated and responsive approach to addressing local issues.

Theme(s): Early childhood education and care; School education; Tertiary education and training; Jobs, skills and workforce development.

Strategies

Stakeholders

Programs

Establish a network and directory of government and non-government agencies and their services for ready reference when providing assistance to stakeholders.

Represent DEEWR on key regional groups.

Provide feedback regarding the effectiveness of programs and initiatives to contract managers, DEEWR management and key program staff.

Actively participate in the activities of the Central West Education, Skills and Industry Community (CWESIC), including by leading the Central West Literacy and Numeracy Working Group.

Continue to promote the wide range of programs available to stakeholders to support their activities and continue to support and strengthen local networks to address local issues more effectively.

CWESIC

Department of Education and Communities (NSW)

Department of Human Services

Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport

Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services (NSW)


Job Services Australia (JSA) providers

RDA Central West


Australian Apprenticeships

Australian Government Skills Connect

DES

JSA

Skills for Education and Employment formerly known as the Language, Literacy and Numeracy Program

National Workforce Development Fund


Productive Ageing Package


Workplace English Language and Literacy

Issue 3 Support early childhood education and care services to meet National Quality Framework requirements.

Goal:To ensure that there is accessible, quality child care available within the region and increased numbers of children, particularly Indigenous children, are accessing these services.

Theme(s): Early childhood education and care; Jobs, skills and workforce development.

Strategies

Stakeholders

Programs

Inform, support and maintain regular contact with early childhood education and care (ECEC) providers to ensure they can access key funding, programs and initiatives to help them transition to the new framework. This will include regular email updates, telephone contacts and visits to provider premises.

Scope the range of ECEC providers who require higher level support in the transition process and facilitate linkages between them and providers who are advanced in the transition, to encourage the sharing of information, resources and strategies. Facilitate a local forum where providers can share experiences, best practice, information and resources and initiate development of an Indigenous childcare workforce strategy to improve the recruitment and retention of Indigenous staff in the early childhood sector, with a view to encouraging increased participation by Indigenous children. The forum is scheduled to be held mid 2013.

Facilitate linkages between stakeholders, including ECEC providers, Job Services Australia providers and registered training organisations (RTOs), to identify and train workers to fill positions as a result of the reform agenda.

Support and encourage use of initiatives such as early childhood School-based Apprenticeships and Traineeships (SbATs) and TAFE Western in Orange to provide new workers with pathways to employment.

Support Charles Sturt University to expand the accessibility of early childhood programs through online learning and innovative initiatives such as the Parkes Study Centre, initially by promoting the initiatives to early childhood providers and other stakeholders.

Provide information and support to providers to access the National Workforce Development Fund (NWDF) to develop the skills of current and new employees to meet the requirements of the national regulations.

Aboriginal Early Childhood Support and Learning


Community Connections Solutions Australia



ECEC providers



Local councils

RTOs


State Training Services (NSW)

TAFE Western

DES

Early Years Workforce Strategy

Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters

IEP

Inclusion and Professional Support Program

Indigenous Youth Career Pathways

JSA

NWDF

New Skills: Quality Care Training Strategy


Recognition of Prior Learning Assessment Grant

SbATs


Issue 4 Literacy and numeracy skills are an increasing barrier to learning and school engagement, reducing the number of students who access tertiary education and training and employment.

Goal:Improved literacy and numeracy levels, leading to better school engagement and stronger pathways through education and training to employment.

Theme(s): School education; Tertiary education and training; Jobs, skills and workforce development.

Strategies

Stakeholders

Programs

Inform, support and maintain contact with selected schools in the region to ensure they can access key programs and initiatives that may help to improve literacy and numeracy in their schools.

Encourage people delivering Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) formerly known as the Language, Literacy and Numeracy Program (including schools) to promote complementary SEE training to the family and friends of their students.

Partner with industry to seek feedback on industry literacy and numeracy needs. Provide the feedback to NSW Department of Education and Communities (DEC) and other stakeholders to encourage industry-based literacy and numeracy skills development in schools.

Develop strategies to improve literacy and numeracy levels in the region within schools, vocational education and training and employment by chairing the Central West Language, Literacy and Numeracy Working Group.

Implement strategies, in partnership with NSW DEC and TAFE Western, to link Job Services Australia (JSA) providers and Disability Employment Services (DES) providers to registered training organisations (RTOs) to improve language, literacy and numeracy in the region.

Association of Independent Schools of NSW

Catholic Education Office

Department of Human Services

DES providers

Industry peak bodies and individual enterprises

JSA providers

NSW DEC

RTOs


SEE providers

TAFE Western

DES

JSA

SEE



Goal:Increased numbers of students who complete Year 12.


Strategies

Stakeholders

Programs

Participate in meetings and forums of key regional groups, sharing information on programs and initiatives, identifying and responding to particular issues identified and sharing successes and best practice.

Work with relevant stakeholders to maximise the use of programs such as Links to Learning, Youth Connections and Sporting Chance targeting students most at risk of disengaging.

Collaborate with the NSW Department of Education and Communities (DEC) on early intervention strategies to support students at risk of disengaging with alternative curriculum pathways. This includes helping employers and industry to consider appropriate pathways and partnerships to transition from school to work.

Provide information, data and networking support to the School Business Community Partnership Broker to help implement strategies to increase retention rates.

Provide information to stakeholders on funding issues, for example where funding is reduced for students who pursue TAFE-delivered VET (TVET).

Facilitate linkages between universities and low socioeconomic status schools to help them to raise students aspirations to attend university under the Higher Education Participation Partnership Program (HEPPP). Share best practice from Trade Training Centres (TTCs), including with schools that are not engaged in the initiative, as a way of encouraging them to seek TTC funding in future.

Continue to attend meetings of, and support the activities of the Bathurst Youth Focus Group which has been established to support and coordinate services to youth in the town, with the aim of improving Year 12 attainment.

Association of Independent Schools of NSW

Bathurst Youth Focus Group

Catholic Education Office




NSW DEC


Schools

TAFE Western

Trade Training Centres (TTCs)

Youth Connections providers

DES

HEPPP

JSA

Links to Learning



School-based Apprenticeships and Traineeships

Sporting Chance Program

TTCs in Schools

TVET

Youth Connections

Issue 5 Lack of access to tertiary education and training opportunities in some localities outside the larger regional centres, coupled with the need to promote existing pathways and options to local tertiary education opportunities.

Goal:Increased numbers of trainees and students accessing tertiary education and training opportunities locally, leading to an increase of Central West residents with post-school qualifications.


Strategies

Stakeholders

Programs

Ensure awareness of all tertiary education and training providers and opportunities in the region, particularly those relevant to local labour market needs including the TAFE Western Connect initiative (via a regular email update), attendance at stakeholder meetings and forums, stakeholder visits and responses to issues that are raised.

Approach TAFE outreach coordinators to influence targeted use of the TAFE Western Connect initiative.

Ensure stakeholders are aware of Indigenous-specific programs and initiatives to encourage greater access for Indigenous students, and assist them to access the programs.

Support NSW Department of Education and Communities (DEC) to increase the number of students accessing School-based Apprenticeships and Traineeships (SbATs) by facilitating an event showcasing Trade Training Centres (TTCs) to business and industry representatives. The event will be designed to encourage greater support of the TTCs by local business and industry, and would be held in consultation with NSW DEC.

Investigate options for tracking progression from SbATs or vocational education and training (VET) into post-school learning. Use case studies to encourage schools that have not engaged to use SbATs as a pathway.

Work collaboratively with RDA Central West, Charles Sturt University (CSU), TAFE Western, NSW DEC and other stakeholders to:

expand the number and methods of delivery of tertiary education and training courses, particularly in areas of workforce shortages.

increase the number of university facilities in some smaller and underserviced areas.

Increase the range of articulated pathways between school, TAFE, VET and university education.

CSU



Notre Dame University

NSW DEC

Parkes Study Centre

RDA Central West

Registered training organisations


Schools

State Training Services

TAFE Western

University of Sydney

University of Western Sydney

Capital Development Pool

Commonwealth Grants Scheme

DES

Education Investment Fund

Indigenous Employment Program

JSA

SbATs


Structural Adjustment Fund

TAFE Western Connect

TTCs in Schools

VET National Support

Goal:Improved apprenticeship and traineeship completion rates.

Theme(s): Tertiary education and training.

Strategies

Stakeholders

Programs

Work with NSW State Training Services (STS) and Australian Apprenticeships Centres (AACs) to improve the quality of AAC activities, including more effectively targeting enrolments and ensuring that trainees and apprentices receive appropriate guidance and advice.

AACs

NSW STS

Australian Apprenticeships

Issue 6 Skills shortages in several sectors across the region, including trades, health and child care.

The resources boom has exacerbated this as local mining ventures source their labour from workers in other sectors who are attracted by the higher remuneration.

Goal:Improved capacity of the workforce to meet the current and emerging needs of the Central West NSW Labour Market.


Strategies

Stakeholders

Programs

Meet local industry associations, employer representative groups and business chambers to consolidate a list of training needs and skills in demand. Encourage joint approaches to workforce development by using government programs (such as the Australian Government Skills Connect initiative) and considering under-utilised sources of labour, including the long-term unemployed, youth, jobless parents, people with disability, Indigenous Australians and the mature aged.

Participate in key industry forums, sharing information and possible program responses to issues raised. Encourage employers and industry to consider the benefits of training for existing and new employees.

Collaborate with DEEWR contract managers, key external providers and the Indigenous community to develop projects to increase the number of work-ready long-term unemployed, youth, jobless parents, people with disability, Indigenous Australians and mature-age people.

Provide advice and guidance to Job Services Australia (JSA) and Disability Employment Services (DES) providers and employers on how to have clients and workers skills formally recognised.

Support regional initiatives that promote local workforce development such as the Central NSW Councils (Centroc) facilitated Beyond the Range health worker initiative and the Water Utilities Alliance.

Maintain a watching brief on the TAFE Western mining and employment strategy and provide support to the initiative as required.

Support NSW State Training Services (STS) to equip registered training organisations with the skills to train people for mining jobs.

Support Charles Sturt Universitys strategies to expand the range of courses available for regional students at its regional campuses in areas of current and future regional workforce shortage, and its various collaborations with TAFE and schools to support improved pathways to higher education.

Support the implementation of the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) initiative by representing DEEWR on the IPS Steering Committee to deliver outcomes for Disability Employment Services clients.

Business chambers

Central West Education, Skills and Industry Community

Centroc



Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism

DES providers

Employers and industry groups


Industry Skills Councils

JSA providers

Mining industry representatives

NSW STS

RDA Central West



Schools

TAFE Western

Western NSW Health

Wiradjuri Condobolin Corporation

Australian Government Skills Connect

DES

Education Investment Fund

IEP

Indigenous Tutorial Assistance Scheme

JSA

Productive Ageing Package


TAFE Western Connect

Trade Training Centres in Schools


Issue 7 Communities are looking to adjust in response to potential changes associated with the proposed Murray Darling Basin reform.

Goal:Improved capacity of affected communities to adjust to changes resulting from the proposed Murray Darling Basin reform.

Theme(s): Tertiary education and training; Jobs, skills and workforce development.

Strategies

Stakeholders

Programs

Maintain a watching brief on implementation of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and develop strategies to address locally identified issues during the implementation phase.

Implement place-based initiatives in affected communities designed to re-skill workers impacted by reduced water allocations.

Provide support to affected stakeholders to access funding, programs and initiatives to assist with the transition to new ways of working.

Participate in key industry clusters and relevant forums.

Provide information on key initiatives and programs to stakeholders.

Collaborate with Job Services Australia (JSA) providers, Disability Employment Services (DES) providers, Indigenous Employment Program (IEP) panel members and Indigenous organisations to identify and implement strategies to re-train workers affected by the reform.

Central NSW Councils


Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport

DES providers

Employers and industry groups

IEP panel members

JSA providers

RDA Central West


DES

IEP

JSA


AppendicesAppendix A Stakeholders

Below is a list of organisations consulted during the development of this RESJ Plan, listed by sector.

Sector

Stakeholder

Local government

Central NSW Councils (Centroc); Orange City Council; Lachlan Shire Council; Forbes Shire Council; Bathurst Regional Council; Lithgow City Council; l; Cowra Shire Council; Parkes Shire Council; Cabonne Shire Council; Blayney Shire Council; Oberon Shire Council; Weddin Shire Council

State government

Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services; Department of Education and Communities; Western NSW Health; Department of Aboriginal Affairs

Australian Government

Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs; Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport; Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education; Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism; Department of Human Services; Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Early Childhood Education and Care

CareWest; Forbes Learning Ladder; Forbes Preschool Kindergarten; Galloping Gumnut Mobile Childrens Service, Condobolin Pre-school and Child Care Centre, Trinity Preschool Orange, various local councils that provide early childhood education and care services.

Education

Red Bend Catholic College; Forbes High School; Condobolin High School; Canobolas High School; Denison College; Bathurst High School; Department of Education and Communities.

Vocational Education and Training

State Training Services; TAFE Western; Verto; Central West Education, Skills and Industry Community

Higher education

Charles Sturt University; Parkes Study Centre.

Youth

Centacare Wilcannia-Forbes (Region 19 Partnership Broker); various local councils; Bathurst Youth Focus Group

Employment

NSW Business Chamber Central West/Orana; Rural Skills Australia; Job Services Australia providers; Disability Employment Services providers; Regional Development Australia Central West; Construction and Property Services Industry Skills Council

Indigenous organisations

Orange Aboriginal Medical Service; Wiradjuri Condobolin Corporation.

Regional development

Regional Development Australia Central West.

Government service providers

Verto; OCTEC Inc; Sureway Employment and Training; Mission Australia

Appendix B Existing related plans and strategies

This section includes some of the related strategic plans in the region which have:

influenced the direction of this RESJ Plan

have complementary goals and strategies and/or

have significance in the region in relation to education, skills and jobs.

It provides an overview of how each strategy or plan has had an impact on this RESJ Plan and how it may be utilised to maximise outcomes.

Plan or strategy

Impact on RESJ Plan

How it can be used/linked/expanded

Regional Development Australia (RDA) Central West Regional Plan 20102015

The RDA Central West Regional Plan focuses on areas including economic development, the environment and social inclusion.

This RESJ Plan has goals that support these priorities including: the development of Indigenous business and increased employment opportunities for Indigenous people; improved whole-of-government approaches; the provision of support to, and attendance at, a skills roundtable conducted by RDA Central West; and improved capacity of the workforce to respond to current and future labour market needs.

Local government plans

Local governments within the region have strategic plans that encompass community and economic development.

This RESJ Plan outlines goals and strategies that will support local government plans.

NSW 2021

The Central West Regional Action Plan (within NSW 2021) has been developed to identify actions the NSW Government can take to deliver on community priorities, including a diverse, sustainable and innovative economy, a highly skilled workforce, well-coordinated and integrated services and improved transport links.

This RESJ Plan outlines goals and strategies that will support the Regional Action Plan.

Working in Partnership Action Plan

The Working in Partnership Action Plan aims to develop a regional Aboriginal employment, training and economic development strategy.

This RESJ Plan outlines goals and strategies that will support the initiative.

Central West Education, Skills and Industry Roundtable

RDA Central West facilitated the roundtable on 22 February 2012. The results will inform development of a Central West Education and Training Plan.

The Central West Education and Training Plan will represent a whole-of-government approach linking industry needs with education and training, including how to address local opportunities and challenges. This RESJ Plan outlines goals and strategies that will support this.

School Business Community Partnership Brokers Region 19 Environmental Scan

The School Business Community Partnership Broker undertakes a scan across education and training, business and industry, the community sector, programs and parents and families.

The scan will identify gaps and identify opportunities to address education attainment and transition to employment for the regions young people. This RESJ Plan outlines goals and strategies that will support the opportunities identified in the scan.

Murray-Darling Basin Plan

The Murray-Darling Basin Plan is designed to manage the Basin in a manner that delivers a balance between the environment, economies and communities.

The Plan may impact on the economies of a number of communities in the Central West and this may require support to those communities to restructure their labour markets. This RESJ Plan outlines goals and strategies that will support this.

Central West Skills Project

The project was established to raise the profile of RDA Central West as a lead organisation in the role of facilitating a whole-of-government approach to develop partnerships and collaboration in education and skills.

The project outlines nine key priorities in education and skills in the Central West. This RESJ Plan outlines goals and strategies that will support this.

Abbreviations

Abbreviation

Full Term

AAC

Australian Apprenticeship Centre

ABS

Australian Bureau of Statistics

AECG

Aboriginal Education Consultative Group

AEDI

Australian Early Development Index

ACSF

Australian Core Skills Framework

Centroc

Central NSW Councils

CSU


CWESIC

Central West Education, Skills and Industry Community

DEC


DES

Disability Employment Service

DEEWR

Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations

ECEC


ERP

Estimated Resident Population

HEPPP

Higher Education Participation Partnership Program

HIPPY

Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters

IBA

Indigenous Business Australia

IEP

Indigenous Employment Program

IPS

Individual Placement and Support

JSA

Job Services Australia

LGA


SEE

Skills for Education and Employment

NAPLAN

National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy

NWDF

National Workforce Development Fund

RDA

Regional Development Australia

RESJ

Regional Education, Skills and Jobs

RTO

Registered training organisation

SbATs

School-based Apprenticeships and Traineeships

STS

State Training Services (NSW)

TTCs

Trade Training Centres

TVET

TAFE-delivered VET

VET

Vocational education and training

WELL


Documents

Contents · Web viewIn 2012, changes to the boundaries of some New South Wales RDA regions resulted in the Bland Shire moving from the Central West RDA region to the Riverina RDA