National Skills Reform

National Skills Agreement

The 5-year National Skills Agreement (NSA) commenced on 1 January 2024, and is a joint agreement between the Australian and state and territory governments to strengthen vocational education and training (VET) in Australia, unlocking billions of dollars to build the skills and prosperity of Queensland.

The NSA, developed under principles agreed by National Cabinet, embeds national cooperation and supports strategic investment in Queensland's VET sector.

The NSA commits up to $2.54 billion of Australian Government investment for Queensland, to support Queensland's ongoing strong investment in skills and training, which will expand and transform access to the VET sector, support quality training, and implement reforms to address critical skills needs.

This investment is on top of the $414 million committed by the Australian Government for the delivery of 300,000 Fee-Free TAFE places nationally from 2024 to 2026, and an additional $88.8 million committed by the Australian Government, as part of the 2024–25 Federal Budget, to deliver a further 20,000 Fee-Free TAFE and VET places from January 2025 to boost the supply of workers in the construction industry.

The NSA will coordinate strategic investment in skills across the economy and support delivery of skills needed in national priority areas, as well as providing states and territories with flexibility to meet local industry skills needs.

Agreed inaugural national priorities under the NSA are:

• gender equality
• Closing the Gap
• supporting the Net Zero transformation
• sustaining essential care services
• developing Australia's sovereign capability and food security
• ensuring Australia's digital and technology capability
• delivering housing supply
• delivering reforms to improve the regulation of VET qualifications and quality.

Read more about the NSA and stay informed on National Skills Reform.

Details of how the Queensland Government will deliver on the NSA is outlined in Queensland's annual Training Priorities Plan.

Skills Reform areas

Skills Ministers continue to be committed to improved industry engagement arrangements, quality and qualifications reforms.

Find out more about and be a part of Skills Reform:

• Strengthened role of industry and employers in the VET system
  • 10 Jobs and Skills Councils have been established to provide industry with a stronger, more strategic voice in ensuring Australia's VET sector delivers stronger outcomes for learners and employers.
  • Find out more about Jobs and Skills Councils.
• Improved VET qualifications design
  • On 6 December 2024, Skills Ministers agreed to a new, purpose-based approach to VET qualifications design that is guided by design principles and will improve quality, simplify course design and reduce complexity.
  • Reforming Australia's system of VET qualifications will be undertaken through a phased approach, with new templates becoming available for use by developers from 1 July 2025. It is anticipated that reformed qualifications will be available for delivery from 2026.
  • Find out more about qualifications reforms.
• Supporting high-quality training delivery
  • The revised Standards for Registered Training Organisations are available from 1 January 2025, and will come into full regulatory effect from 1 July 2025. The revised standards represent a step change in all governments' shared ambition to lift quality and integrity across the entire sector, through enabling a more flexible, robust, and quality-driven approach to regulation.
  • The VET Workforce Blueprint identifies opportunities and actions to support and grow a sustainable VET workforce in Australia, including for regional Australia. The blueprint is a roadmap to address challenges and barriers to the attraction, retention and development of the VET workforce.
  • Find out more about quality reforms.

A range of resources are also available on VET sector reforms, through the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

Last updated 14 January 2025