Universities Australia  backs the government’s proposed Jobs and Skills Australia agency and calls for it to cover its members

The suggestion is in UA’s submission to the Senate committee inquiry into bills establishing the agency.

Overall UA thinks JSA will be a good thing indeed, critical to supercharging Australia’s workforce and productivity.”

“The role of JSA in providing advice to the government on workforce needs and priorities, workforce forecasting and current, emerging and future skills and training needs will be central to addressing skills shortages in the Australian economy.”

And the agency needs to be a source of independent advice to ministers for education, skills and training, and employment.

Which maybe why UA is keen for its members to be covered, advising senators, JSA should have “explicit authority to include universities and higher education providers within its remit.”

The Group of Eight wants a role for unis explicitly in the legislation

The Eight “strongly supports” establishing JSA but warns the drafts of the bills, “leave some obvious gaps which are detrimental to the nation’s prosperity and productivity,” in its submission to the Senate committee

The Eight accordingly call for amendments to “formally recognise and include Australian universities in the proposed functions of JSA with respect to advice … on Australia’s current and emerging labour market workforce skills needs and priorities.”

“Gosh,” you ask “any universities in particular?”

“It is important for the Go8 to state that it is not asking for any diminution of the emphasis in TAFE and VET. The Go8 recognise their integral role. What the Go8 is asking is to also be taken into consideration as of value. (emphasis and itals in original)