The Australian Government's Innovation Report

Advancing SET skills
Audit of Science, Engineering and Technology Skills
The Australian Government’s Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) Skills Audit was announced in
response to concerns expressed by industry and the academic research community about the current supply of
skills from the education and training system and its ability to meet current or future demands.
The audit is part of the Australian Government’s commitment to developing Australia’s potential through research
and innovation. It has involved several research projects to develop a comprehensive picture of skills issues
in Australia, including:
• an analysis of the supply of skills from the education and training sectors and demand for skills in the
labour market;
• international factors influencing the decision of Australians to work overseas;
• a review of current literature;
• a national survey of youth attitudes towards the study of science, mathematics and technology subjects
and their career aspirations;
• a national industry survey examining the demand for skills, recruitment difficulties, current vacancies
and short to medium-term outlooks;
• six key industry case studies;
• public submissions;
• public forums; and
• consultations, including stakeholder meetings.
Major audit findings include:
• Demand for science, engineering and technology workers is currently at high levels and strong demand seems likely to continue
– this is driven by resource sector growth and infrastructure development and renewal. Significant
recruitment difficulties exist across engineering disciplines and in some science disciplines (including
chemistry), particularly for high level skill sets and in remote and regional areas.
• Domestic supply from education and training is lagging – participation in science, engineering and technology across
all education and training sectors is static or declining, particularly in the enabling sciences.
• Supply of science, engineering and technology skills from migration is important – on balance, Australia gains skills from
migration after discounting for skill losses through emigration. Numbers seem likely to be enhanced
by recent changes to the Skilled Migration Programme to address short-term skill shortages.
• Science career paths and research funding mechanisms – limited domestic career opportunities for early and mid
career science researchers may be leading to skill losses to other countries.
• Career advice – there is limited awareness of science, engineering and technology career opportunities by
parents, school teachers and school career counsellors, which may act to discourage participation in
science, engineering and technology study and careers.
• Management of demand for science, engineering and technology skills – maintaining a balance between supply and demand
for skills will be dependent on retention and upgrading skills of existing workers.
• Curricula changes – this includes increasing subject choice at school, which may diminish students’
participation in and understanding of the enabling sciences.
The audit is a further reflection of the Australian Government’s commitment to research, development and
innovation. Following this work, the Minister for Education, Science and Training commissioned specific
research into community awareness of SET, the engagement of pre-school and primary school children with
SET, the factors that influence people to seek out and stay in SET careers, as well as an investigation into the
career opportunities for early to mid-career researchers in Australia.
More information about the Science, Engineering and Technology Skills Audit can be found at:
www.dest.gov.au/setsa
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