For the handful of readers who missed Seven network breakfast TV yesterday, acting education minister Stuart Robert was on, spruiking a national record of everybody’s skills

It’s been an idea waiting for a while on an opportunity to implement it – in 2020 Peter Shergold proposed, a working-life record of achievements starting at school, to, “assist individuals to communicate their qualifications, learnings and experience as they move between pathways and change career directions” (CMM July 24 2020).

And now a proposed $5m trial by the  Australian Technology Network universities could start such a scheme. “Every single qualification that you could have will come together,” Mr Robert said.

Which would be really good – if it extends to cover completed micro-courses, and especially in VET, the vast amount of informal training. In 2019 2.6m people took non-qualification “training bundles” – commonly safety and skills maintenance required by regulation (CMM June 4 2021.

Mr Robert’s announcement appears to be an election promise, as distinct from the numerous funding commitments, presumably signed before caretaker, which ministers have made during the campaign.