Our team, David Barron (Executive Manager, Stakeholder Engagement), Nick Hill (Manager, Marketing and Communications), Mark Shaddock (Manager, Stakeholder Engagement), and Board member Rhyll Gardner, engaged in numerous valuable discussions with industry stakeholders, gaining firsthand insights into their needs and priorities. The team was visited by attendees from industry, government and other guests, including the Hon Ed Husic MP, Minister for Industry and Science.ÌýÌý

Formerly IBSA Group, the Manufacturing Alliance is an industry-owned and industry-led organisation supporting the development of skilled workforces enabling modern manufacturing and associated industries to succeed. It works with stakeholders across Australia, including employers, unions, educators, learners and governments.

Jobs and Skills Councils have been established by the Australian government to bring industry representatives together, with balanced representation from unions and employers, to identify and deliver the workforce skills that are needed for strong, competitive and sustainable industry.

The Minister commented, “I am excited about the benefit that the Manufacturing Industry Skills Alliance will provide to its industry and workers. The Manufacturing Alliance will play a key leadership role in shaping the future of manufacturing in Australia. We are providing considerable support to ensure workers have the right skills now, and in the future, and Jobs and Skills Councils are a key part of making this happen.�

Sharon Robertson, CEO Manufacturing Industry Skills Alliance said, “Australian manufacturing is experiencing a period of renewed opportunities. As organisations seek to capitalise on future growth, they need a workforce with the right skills to make it happen. We are looking forward to being on the journey with them and providing workforce development solutions.�

She added, “If the collaboration we have seen from governments, unions, employers and training providers while we were establishing the Manufacturing Alliance is anything to go by, then we are well placed to make a tangible difference to industry and its workforce.�

Industries supported by the Manufacturing Alliance are as broad and diverse as Australia itself. They range from metal fabrication, print, food manufacturing and aerospace through to polymers, pharmaceutical manufacturing and laboratory operations, as well as emerging industries such as space.

Jobs and Skills Councils advocate for industry and work closely with government to create an efficient training system delivering sustainable prosperity for workers, employers and the wider Australian economy. They move beyond a narrow focus on training package development, which was a feature of the Skills Service Organisation model, to address system-wide barriers from a labour market perspective.

They focus on workforce needs and skills development with a strong emphasis on building partnerships between industry and the vocational education and training sector.

The Manufacturing Alliance’s predecessor, IBSA Group, was part of the vocational education and training sector for 20 years, including being a Skills Service Organisation for the manufacturing industry.

The Minister’s announcement is available at the .

Australia as a country continues to evolve. The economy has changed, presenting the manufacturing sector with renewed opportunities. Alongside that, supply chains and traditional ways of manufacturing have changed. With the establishment of the Jobs and Skills Council for manufacturing, the way that workforce skills and training are developed and provided is changing as well.

During my years as CEO of the Manufacturing Alliance’s predecessor, IBSA Group, a consistent message heard – across all levels – was the desire and need to change the perception of the manufacturing industry to attract a revitalised next generation workforce.

This has long been a challenge for industry, and it is a challenge that the Manufacturing Alliance is ready to take up.

Through these new arrangements, industry will now have a greater voice in how training is developed and delivered. Training organisations, learners and apprentices will be better supported and have access to relevant, contemporary qualifications.

Through our Strategic Industry Taskforce and four key functions – workforce planning, training product development, supporting training delivery, and industry leadership – we will work with all sectors of industry to help address workforce challenges and shape skills and training that builds workforces of the future.

A systemic change is in progress and the Manufacturing Alliance is at the forefront. We are committed to working collaboratively towards a system that works smoothly and supports a sustainable, prosperous future.

We look forward to engaging with all stakeholders across the broad spectrum of the manufacturing sector.

How to get involved:

for the latest news on training product development, workforce planning and other issues affecting the manufacturing industry.

Sharon Robertson

They are part of the government-led skills reforms to provide industry with a stronger, more strategic voice in ensuring Australia’s vocational educational and training sector delivers improved outcomes for learners and employers. The new JSC structure will move beyond the lens of training package development to address system-wide barriers from a labour market perspective.

The Manufacturing Industry Skills Alliance has recently been established as the Jobs and Skills Council for the manufacturing industry. The manufacturing JSC will cover areas of general manufacturing and engineering, light manufacturing (including pharmaceuticals, print and food), advanced manufacturing and emerging industries, including defence and space technologies.

It will deliver a collaborative, tripartite arrangement that brings employers, unions, and governments together to address skills shortages and broader workforce challenges. It also recognises the key role of training providers. This includes supporting industry and training providers to improve training and assessment practice, mapping career pathways across education sectors and acting as a source of intelligence on issues affecting the sector.

The activity of the manufacturing JSC will be based on actions of the JSC’s four key functions: workforce planning; training product development; implementation, promotion and monitoring; and industry stewardship.

We are looking forward to deepening partnerships between industry, unions, learners, and education providers to support quality, inclusive training delivery and skills development.

Ìýto engage with the new Jobs and Skills Council for manufacturing.