More Choices for a Longer Life package

The department successfully implemented the jobs and skills measures in the More Choices for a Longer Life package announced in the 2018–19 Budget. These measures include:

• Trialling the Skills and Training Incentive (complemented by the Skills Checkpoint for Older Workers)
• Expanding the Career Transition Assistance Program nationally
• Launching Skills Match, an online interactive tool
• Expanding Entrepreneurship Facilitators
• Targeted assistance under Job Change initiatives
• Establishing of a Collaborative Partnership on Mature Age Employment
• Giving more mature-age job seekers the opportunity to benefit from the Restart wage subsidy program.
• These measures will help older Australians to better prepare for an independent, healthy, longer life thatenables them to work for as long as they want.

Skills and Training Incentive

The Skills and Training Incentive, which commenced on 1 January 2019, aims to assist mature age Australians to invest in training and adopt a lifelong approach to skills development, to reduce the risk that they will leave the workforce. This includes people who are working in industries and regions vulnerable to changing labour market requirements and redundancies.

The Skills and Training Incentive provides eligible participants with government funding of up to $2,200 (GST inclusive) for reskilling or upskilling opportunities. This is a co-investment in training, with either the participant or their current employer matching the government contribution. 368 participants have accessed the incentive.

The Skills and Training Incentive supports the Skills Checkpoint for Older Workers Program. This program identifies relevant training linked to a participant’s current job (such as upgrading skills), a future job opportunity or an industry, occupation or skill in demand that the Skills and Training Incentive can be used for.

Future of work

The department is leading the development of the Jobs and Education Data Infrastructure (JEDI) project, a data engine that brings together data from multiple sources to answer the information needs of different users in relation to skills, jobs and education in the Australian labour market. It will help individuals, employers, education providers and government to identify and address skill gaps. The project also includes the development of a data-driven dynamic Australian skills classification. This classification will complement the existing occupation and qualification based systems and provide a common language across skills, jobs and education.

The department has successfully developed a prototype to provide user-friendly information for individuals to see pathways to new jobs, and to identify gaps in their skills and the courses to bridge these gaps. Further work is underway to develop a prototype for use by employers, and a tertiary education provider tool focused on course and training design to cater for emerging skills.