skills acTion Plan for The food and Beverage secTor - Department of ...

• Promote careers to parents, youth, teachers and
careers advisors that reflects the reality of working
in the food and beverage sector (ie. how sophisticated
jobs are now).
• Support initiatives from the Human Capability Group
in Horticulture and Agriculture, which involves a
schools’ curriculum strategy with goals to increase
the profile of the sector, change schools’ perception
of the sector, increase the number of people seeking
careers in the sector (eg. more science students), and
introduce resources across the curriculum. In addition
and alignment with this work, encourage a coordinated
cross sectorial approach to career promotion in
schools.
Background
It is apparent that for education and training to be
taken up, there needs to be greater awareness of the
opportunities such occupations offer. This is an area in
common with priority three, “Attractive Careers”. The
focus of this area in priority two is the way the primary and
secondary parts of the education system communicate the
realities of working in the food and beverage sector.
2.3 Responding to Changing
Occupations and Skill Needs
Action Points
• Explore ways to improve the ability of the skills and
training system to adapt to rapidly changing and new
occupations.
• Increase support for initiatives that could be
undertaken by Learning Representatives and build on
current work with a group of ITOs to integrate literacy
training with industry training (eg. in seafood and
agriculture).
• Communication of the relationship between high levels
of foundation skills in food and beverage businesses
and favourable productivity results.
• Increase support and encouragement for the uptake
of relevant vocational qualifications (inclusive of higher
level qualifications) that provide a good match to
associated job opportunities.
• Continue and extend active support for alternative
employment (preferably in the food and beverage
sector) with tailored programmes for individual workers
and investment in education and training for employees
affected by business closures, downsizing and
relocations. This would involve working with employers,
unions, ITOs, other education providers and agencies of
government and local government.
Background
Due to the introduction of new technology (incl. upgrades),
integration of production processes, productivity
innovations and convergence with other sectors (eg. food
and health, food and hospitality), traditional occupations
and career paths are changing (ie. from low to high value
work). It is important that education and training reflects
these needs, for which employees are able to adapt existing
skills and develop new ones. It is also important that
employers provide a flexible work environment. Education
and training should not only be provided to those whose
jobs are changing but also to those whose jobs have
changed.
As with other industries, the food and beverage sector
has a spectrum of skills that range from top talent to
foundation level. Investment in foundation skills may be
just as important as investment in relevant vocational
qualifications and higher education.
There is usually a strong relationship between a
workforce’s foundation skills and the level of labour
productivity within a business, thus demonstrating the
need for employers and government to invest in foundation
skills. ITOs are currently piloting the integration of
foundation learning (work in progress) into industry training
and ensuring training and foundation learning is available to
low skilled workers.
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