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Future-proofing your workplaceA toolkit to support career conversations and how VET can help.

For industry

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Powered ByThe New Work Order and VET series is a partnership between the Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) and the Federal Department of Education and Training.

The Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) FYA is a national independent non-profit organisation dedicated to all young people in Australia. We believe young people are not a problem to be helped or solved. They are ambitious, creative and capable of rethinking the world and solving tomorrow’s problems today. Delivering a range of initiatives (co)designed with young people, FYA aims to develop the skills, networks and ideas of young Australians so they can create a better future.

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VET Toolkit for Industry | i

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Contents

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Section 1: Introduction

Changing world of work

Why a toolkit for employers?

Using the toolkit

Glossary

FAQs

Section 2: Learning & activities

Importance of enterprise skills

Activity: Identify your enterprise skill

Finding your cluster

How VET can help you transition the cluster model Discussion 1 ‘What is a good job?’

Discussion 2 ‘So I heard VET is just for trades’

Discussion 3 ‘So I heard VET is a thing of the past’

Appendix A: Useful links and resources

Appendix B: Worksheets and handouts

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Section 1:

INTRODUCTION

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Changing world of workAs an employer, retaining talent and supporting your workers to make decisions about their career pathways can be a challenge. On one hand there are existing pressures of managing workers and on the other Australia’s workforce landscape is rapidly transforming with most jobs subject to change, others disappearing and many new ones yet to come. This means organisations have a pivotal role to play in adapting to this new work climate, for their longevity and for the support of their workforce.

The Foundation for Young Australians’ (FYA) New Work Order (NWO) report series shows that we’re facing the biggest disruption to the world of work since the industrial revolution. The reports highlight that the disruption brings opportunity for young people but only if we invest to ensure they have the skills, capabilities and mindset to overcome the challenges of change.

The New Work Mindset analysed more than 2.7 million job advertisements to reveal seven new job clusters or areas of work (see figure 1 on page 2) in the Australian economy. These clusters highlight that jobs are more closely related than previously thought - when a young person trains or works one job they actually acquire skills that will help them get 13 other jobs. This report shows that we need to shift our focus from preparing for one job to preparing a portfolio of skills that can be transported across many jobs for the future of work.

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By understanding the skills and capabilities that will be most portable and in demand in the new economy, employers can support workers to equip themselves for the future of work more effectively. Our mindset needs to shift to reflect the more dynamic future of work where linear careers will be far less common and young people will need a portfolio of skills and capabilities to navigate a more complex world of work.

Why a toolkit for employers?There is no doubt that the world of work and Australia’s economy is changing. With access to big data such as the New Work Order report series, employers, HR practitioners and businesses have an opportunity to ensure they are well positioned to meet the challenge of attracting and retaining staff.

This toolkit is designed to provide employers with the tools and vocabulary to have supportive conversations about career pathways and highlight opportunities for further skill development, with Vocational Education and Training (VET) being one of them.

Benefits of shifting mindsets

One benefit of using the cluster model in the workplace is that it can help to identify skills gaps or shortages in your workforce now, and into the future. Once identified, these can be addressed with short courses to re-skill or upskill through Vocational Education and Training.

For employers, this cluster model could be a way to identify and structure areas of your organisation such as job classifications, job mapping and succession plans.

In supporting workers to understand and offer up opportunities to develop their skills and capabilities for the future, employers can empower and boost workplace attractiveness and improve talent retention for workers eager to progress their careers.

Figure 1, the seven job clusters from FYA’s New Work Mindset Report, 2016

The Generators

The Coordinators The Designers The Technologists

The Artisans The Carers The Informers

SECTION 1

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Using the toolkit

SECTION 1

GlossaryWhat are enterprise skills?

Enterprise skills are transferable skills that enable people to engage with a complex world and navigate the challenges they will inherit. Enterprise skills are not just for entrepreneurs; they are skills that are required in many jobs. They have been found to be a powerful predictor of long- term job success.

The terms used to describe these skills vary across different contexts: sometimes called generic, soft, or 21st century skills. Enterprise skills include: communication; presentation; team work; project management; financial literacy; digital literacy; and ability to critically assess information, be creative and innovate. This is not a complete list! See Appendix B, Enterprise Skills Card for definitions.

What are technical skills?

We often think of technical skills as specific to a particular job or task, such as surgical skills if you are a veterinarian or JavaScript if you are a computer programmer. However, online job advertisements reveal that many technical skills appear across multiple occupations in a job cluster and are not just specific to a single job.

While these skills can vary in difficulty and the amount of training required, employers list all these skills in job advertisements rather than focusing only on the most intensive. A specific job will often still require a specific technical skill or subject matter expertise, but picking up many of the core technical skills in a job cluster will enable young people to move across the job cluster and to more easily shift into the unknown jobs of the future.

Videos

The videos are the primary source of information, with activities and conversation starters orientated around each video.

Activities

The toolkit has been designed to provide a high level of flexibility so that you can tailor the activities to the requirements of the respective workplaces.

Information

The toolkit has been designed with up to date industry data taken from FYA’s report series The New Work Order (NWO).

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FAQsCan I use these activities and conversation starters for one-on-one discussions or is it only group activities?

Absolutely, the activities can be tailored to any size of your staff cohort, including one on one discussions or group environments. Engagement with staff should ideally be tailored to suit different learning styles - some prefer smaller groups or individual work and others work really well in large group settings. Some of the activities require individual work, with welcomed support from HR and workforce managers.

Should we address the videos in any particular order?

The videos can be addressed in any order. However, we suggest that you work through them chronologically as the latter themes build upon those towards the beginning.

What parts of FYA’s New Work Order research are related to the toolkit?

The entire toolkit is based on FYA’s New Work Order report series, designed to develop current and future workers’ skills and mindset to prepare them for the changing world of work.

Does my workforce have to read the New Work Order research before they participate in the activities?

No. We would recommend reading the latest reports but it is not necessary for the completion of the toolkit. It would be beneficial for organisation’s hiring managers and managing directors to be familiar with the research.

Where do I go for more information about the New Work Order research?

Visit https://www.fya.org.au/our-research/ for the latest reports.

Where can I find more information about training opportunities for my workforce to upskill?

There are many ways to upskill and reskill for the changing world of work. From short courses online, internal peer-to-peer training, mentoring or external training opportunities such as VET. One of the benefits of VET is that it provides a high level of flexibility, which could be relevant to workers wanting to continue working while studying. For more information visit myskills.gov.au.

SECTION 1

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Section 2:

LEARNING & ACTIVITIESImportance of enterprise skillsThe pace of innovation and automation sweeping through our workplaces has prompted the World Economic Forum to argue that workers need new enterprise skills to succeed. Sometimes referred to as generic or 21st century skills, ‘enterprise skills’ can be used across multiple roles and occupations and include problem solving, communication, digital literacy, project management and teamwork, to name a few.

FYA’s New Basics Report found that demand for enterprise skills in early-career jobs is on the rise and is likely to continue into the future. The jobs of the future, or those jobs that are least likely to be automated, demand enterprise skills 70% more frequently than the jobs of the past and employers are willing to play more for job seeker with enterprise skills.

Consider that when a person works in one job, they acquire skills for 13 other jobs1. This means that jobs are closely linked and much more portable than previously thought. For workers, understanding their enterprise skills improves their ability to navigate their career within organisations and beyond.

1 The New Work Mindset, FYA, 2016 (pg 4) https://www.fya.org.au/report/the-new-work-mindset-report/

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Activity: Identify your enterprise skills Employers should encourage this cluster mapping activity for staff to better understand areas which they would like to work on. It may help to prepare these reports ahead of time to maintain the momentum of the discussion. Printed or web-view.

Time:

Approx 15-25 mins

Prepare:

• Printouts of Source 3 [in Appendix B]

• Pages 4-8 of the New Work Order

• Pages 7-12 of New Basics Report

Have your staff read pages 4-8 of the New Work Order about the changes in the workforce landscape.

1. Create a forum environment where staff can speak freely and comfortably in a room or open space.

2. Stimulate discussion in pairs or groups no larger than 4, by asking your staff to consider what changes they have noticed since they’ve entered the workforce, how has the nature of work, career and the future changed in their eyes.

3. Ask around the group to share insights from their discussions.

4. Review pages pg 7-12 of New Basics Report.

5. Next, highlight FYA’s research into the demand for enterprise skills and explain the importance of recognising ones enterprise skills as well as technical skills. Relate it back to your organisation and industry. What do you, as a workforce manager, foresee will be important for your staff to be future proofed?

6. Encourage members to do a self audit of their current state, to understand their enterprise skills, and to highlight areas they wish to improve on - [OPTION: Indicate that the organisation could assist workers’ professional development].

7. Using Source 3 (in Appendix B) have staff members identify the skills they currently have, where their interests lie and what gaps they may want to fill by upskilling (internally or externally).

8. Once skill areas have been identified and rated, ask if they’re surprised by the results, facilitate discussions with workers to identify their strengths and areas which they would like to grow in the organisation.

9. With the list of skill gaps, jump on myskills.gov.au to see what courses are available near you or online.

SECTION 2

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Finding your clusterAs discussed in Section 1, this cluster model is a helpful way to see how your technical and enterprise skills cross over with areas of work and industries, previously thought to be unrelated.

Sometimes people sit neatly within one while some people can fit across a couple of clusters. Looking at Appendix B, Source 1, which one’s do you most identify with?

Not sure which you fit into? We created this little quiz to get you thinking...

What are the benefits of examining work & workforce through the cluster model?

Workers:

• Are focusing on the development of transferable skills and technical skills linked to a specific cluster (based on interests/strengths)

• Can identify ways to grow within the company using obtained skillset, as well as identify areas for growth.

Organisations:

• Can broaden their talent pool by identifying overlapping skills and industries within the cluster

• Can focus on hiring based on skills as opposed to solely job history or seemingly appropriate qualifications

• Can provide opportunities to upskill and retrain staff as jobs shift and tasks change.

Steps to support new and existing staff:

• Understand the cluster model and complete the below activity to use as a reference to help staff identify room to grow potential career pathways within your organisation

• Provide paid entry level employment to speed up transition from study to full time work (taken from New Work Reality).

SECTION 2

Activity:1. Using Appendix B, Source 1, identify which cluster/s are relevant to the staff member

2. Identify potential for career progression within the organisation and ways to support mentoring/upskilling through professional development/intergenerational mentoring

3. As an employer, consider what clusters you’re in most demand of from a workforce planning perspective. What skills your industry demands, where your skills shortages lie, and how you would integrate the cluster model at every stage, from writing a job advert, to interviewing and inducting new staff.

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How VET can help you transition the cluster model In this next section the activities are designed around FYA’s latest video series, ‘So I Heard...’. The series debunks myths about Vocational Education and Training, through interviews with experts. Each episode is centred on a theme that is further explored in the following activities.

SECTION 2

Discussion 1: ‘What is a good job?’1. Facilitate discussion in groups or one-on-one.

2. Posit the question, ‘What is a good job?’

3. Stimulate discussion by asking: Earning high income? Working autonomously? Flexibility? Strong team connection? Continuous learning and development?

4. What examples does the group have of positive work experiences? Were they personal achievements, team accomplishments, getting support from management, working on collaborative projects, overcoming difficulties?

5. Take in responses and reflect on the common themes that may have surfaced.

6. What stood out? Was it a positive work environment?

7. Watch Episode 1 ‘So I heard VET Can’t Get You A Good Job’

8. Facilitate discussion:

i. What did you learn?

ii. Has this reminded you of other important factors for a happy work-life?

iii. How important is continuous development for you?

iv. In what areas do you think you want to grow and gain more experience in?

v. In what ways can the organisation provide those opportunities for you?

vi. How can you make those opportunities happen for yourself/your team?

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SECTION 2

Discussion 2: ‘So I heard VET is just for trades’ 1. Have staff members watch episode 2 ‘ So I heard VET is just for trades’.

2. Start a ‘round table’ discussion:

> What did you learn from watching the video?

> Reflecting upon the Enterprise skills Audit worksheet completed earlier, ask staff members to consider what areas they feel they need more development. Invite members to share.

3. On a blank sheet of paper, brainstorm ways to access that skill development experience or training.

> Consider informal arrangements such as peer-to-peer learning, shadowing workmates on tasks, assigning mentors, completing internal micro-credential units, or more orthodox external means, such as a short VET certificate in the relevant area.

4. List out the options and examine organisational capacity to assist in employees training.

5. Visit myskills.gov.au to explore course options for staff.

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SECTION 2

Discussion 3: ‘So I heard VET is a thing of the past’

After watching episode 3 ‘So I Heard VET is a thing of the past’ encourage a roundtable discussion:

1. Ask the group to share to the person next to them, what stood out most? How do they think their career or industry will be impacted by automation? In what ways has your job changed because of automation? (If person is new to job/workforce go to Q.4).

2. Continue discussion in desired manner. Other questions: What have been the benefits? The pitfalls? What do you think will be necessary for you to future proof your employability?

3. Some clusters, like the artisans and the coordinators are more vulnerable to the impacts of automation, how is your cluster expected to fare?

a. What do you know about your industry and job which are predicted to change the way you work?

b. In what areas can you develop skills or experience to aid you in this transformation?

c. For information about ways to upskill, visit www.myskills.gov.au

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EMPLOYERS ONLY SECTIONFor this activity, you can gather workforce management staff or complete individually.

On a blank document write your responses to the following questions:

1. Out of 10 [10 being extremely vulnerable, and 0 being invincible] How do you expect your organisation to be affected by automation and the effects of globalisation?

2. Why did you choose that number?

3. What are areas in your organisation which you recognise will be affected by automation?

4. How are you/have you prepared your organisation to respond to its impact?

5. How are you/have you prepared your workforce to be resilient in the face of change?

6. Reflecting on earlier discussions with workforce, how might you respond to their need to upskill and reskill so that they’re future-ready and resilient to the changing nature of work?

7. What are some strategies you wish to implement in the:

i. next 3 months?

ii. next 12 months?

iii. next 2 years?

By now you will have had some robust discussions about your workforce’s thoughts on what their future may hold. You may have had some ‘ah ha’ moments or perhaps have deepened each others understanding of the trending ways of work in the 21st century. This is an ongoing discussion, which deserves attention for which some of the discussion activities will still be relevant. Below you will find helpful links and resources to continue this discovery.

SECTION 2

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Appendix A: Useful links and resources

• My Skills is the national directory of vocational education and training (VET) organisations and courses.

• Australian Apprenticeships Pathways lets you explore Australian Apprenticeship career opportunities.

• Australian Apprenticeships Support Network has all the support services for apprentices and employers.

• VET financial assistance schemes including VET student loans, Apprenticeships & Traineeships & subsidies.

• Industry Perspectives on VET (video) is a video that explores the value of VET from an industry perspective.

• How I Got The Job Series is a video series highlight the real stories behind young Australians navigating the world of work, especially those taking up VET pathways. The series shows just some of the many different options out there.

APPENDIX A

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Comprises jobs that... Occupations currently in this job cluster

...require a high level of interpersonal interaction in retail, sales, hospitali-ty and entertainment.

Total: 65 Includes: sales representatives, retail supervisors, cafe man-agers, hotel managers, entertainers, interpreters and airline ground crew Industries closely linked with this job cluster include: tourism, retail & wholesale trade, accommodation & food ser-vices, and arts & recreation services

...require skill in manual tasks related to con-struction, production, maintenance or techni-cal customer service.

Total: 118 Includes: machinery operators, landscape gardeners, electri-cians, crop & livestock farm workers, plumbers, and carpenters Industries closely linked with this job cluster include: construction, agriculture, mining, manucaturing, utilities and logistics

...seek to improve the mental or physical health or well-being of others, including med-ical, care and personal support services.

Total: 131 Includes: GPs, social workers, childcare workers, fitness instruc-tors, surgeons, councellors and beauty therapists Industries closely linked with this job cluster include: health care & social assistance

...involve repetitive administrative and be-hind-the-scenes process or service tasks.

Total: 59 Includes: bookkeepers, printers, fast food cooks, bus drivers, furniture removalists, law clerks, receptionists and car park attendants Industries closely linked with this job cluster include: administrative services and logistics

...involve deploying skills and knowledge of science, mathematics and design to construct or engineer products or buildings.

Total: 70 Includes: architects, electrical engineers, clothing patternmak-ers, food technologists, building inspectors, product testers, industrial engineers, geologists and draftspersons Industries closely linked with this job cluster include: architectural, engineering & technical services

...involve professionals providing information, education or business services.

Total: 142 Includes: primary and secondary school teachers, economists, intelligence officers, accountants, policy analysts, solicitors, organisational psychologists, museum curators, and HR advisers Industries closely linked with this job cluster include: professional, scientific & technical services and education & training

...require skilled understanding and manipulation of digital technology.

Total: 10 Includes: programmers, software engineers, database adminis-trators, web designers and ICT business analysts Industries closely linked with this job cluster include: computer system design & related services and information media & telecommunication services

Appendix B: Worksheets and handoutsSource 1 - Cluster descriptions

APPENDIX B

The Generators

The Coordinators

The Designers

The Technologists

The Artisans

The Carers

The Informers

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Enterprise skill cards

Problem solving Using initiative to find and solve problems.

Critical thinkingAnalysing and summing up information to

help make decisions.

Creativity & innovationCome up with original ideas and put them to

use.

Digital literacyUse and make technology to find

information, solve problems or complete tasks.

CommunicationActively listen to others, share ideas, give

feedback and negotiate in a respectful way.

Persentation skillsSpeak in front of an audience, use different

technologies and formats to present information.

Team workWork well in groups, managing conflict, listen

and respect the opinions of others.

Financial literacyUnderstand the role money plays in business and make informed decisions about money.

Project managmentPlanning and organising information, people

and activities.

Enthusiasm for ongoing learningStrong and consistent active interest in new

learnings and experiences.

APPENDIX B

Source 2 - Enterprise skill audit tool

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APPENDIX B

Enterprise skill Skill explanationHow do I use this skill at work, life, hobbies?

Out of 10 how would you rate yourself?

Problem solvingUsing initiative to find and solve problems.

Critical thinking

Analysing and summing up infor-mation to help make decisions.

Creativity & innovation

Come up with original ideas and put them to use.

Digital literacy

Use and make technology to find information, solve problems or complete tasks.

CommunicationActively listen to others, share ideas, give feedback and negotiate in a respectful way.

Persentation skills

Speak in front of an audience, use different technologies and formats to present information.

Team workWork well in groups, managing conflict, listen and respect the opinions of others.

Financial literacyUnderstand the role money plays in business and make informed decisions about money.

Project manag-ment

Planning and organising informa-tion, people and activities.

Enthusiasm for ongoing learning

Strong and consistent active interest in new learnings and experiences.

Source 3 - Enterprise skills self audit tool

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