About us

The 11 national Industry Skills Councils (ISCs) cover the skills needs of most Australian industry. In general terms these organisations work to involve industry with the development of nationally applicable vocational education and training.

ISCs are privately registered companies run by industry-based boards of directors, but whose funding is provided substantially by the Australian Government through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

ISCs give all industries, peak bodies, enterprises, unions, training organisations and governments a voice in Australia's vocational education and training system through a national system of industry advisory arrangements and a structure based on industry-led boards of directors and standing committees.

The Australian Government provides funding to ISCs to:

Each Australian state and territory has its own training authority that administers vocational education and training. Their role includes allocation of funds, registration of training organisations and accreditation of courses. Each agency is accountable for operational matters to its own Minister, who is represented on the Ministerial Council for Vocational and Technical Education (MCVTE). CLICK HERE for all State Training Authorities

The 11 national Industry Skills Councils (ISCs) bridge the divide between our nation’s industry and the often complex vocational education and training environment.

As the Chairs of the Industry Skills Councils we commend this brief insight into the

collaborative work of the ISC Forum.

John Baker – Chair Agri-Food Industry Skills Council	John Vines – Chair Innovation & Business Skills	Peter Carver – Chair Community Services & Health Industry Skills Council
David Hoare – Chair Manufacturing Skills Australia	Kareena Ballard – Chair Construction & Property Services Industry Skills Council	Ray Barker – Chair Resources and Infrastructure Industry Skills Council
Peter Tighe – Chair EE-OZ Training Standards	John Sweetman – Chair Service Skills Australia	Jan Andrews Government Skills Australia
Robert Adams – Chair Transport & Distribution Training Australia

• provide industry intelligence and advice to Skills Australia, government and enterprises on workforce development and skills needs;
• actively support the development, implementation and continuous improvement of high quality training and workforce development products and services, including training packages;
• provide independent skills and training advice to enterprises, including matching identified training needs with appropriate training solutions; and
• work with enterprises, employment service providers, training providers and government to allocate training places.

In undertaking these roles, the ISCs will draw on widespread industry networks and active stakeholder engagement.

The ISCs Forum has signed a Protocol for ISC engagement with RTO peak bodies: CLICK HERE

ISCs work in a consultative way within their own industry sectors and with training organisations and government agencies to support the development, implementation and continuous improvement of quality, nationally recognised training products and services - including training packages.

They collaborate through the ISCs Forum on issues with wider implications for Australian industry generally and in so doing they share intelligence, experience and knowledge.

The ISCs are: Agri-Food Industry Skills Council, Construction and Property Services Industry Skills Council, Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council, EE-Oz Training Standards, Government Skills Australia, Innovation & Business Skills Australia, Manufacturing Skills Australia, Resources and Infrastructure Industry Skills Council, Service Industries Skills Council, and TDT Australia.

Each ISC's website can be reached by clicking on the logos to the left of this page.

Each ISC has its own board, industry standing committees, CEO, staff and premises, and its own website and network of industry stakeholders.

The 'Contents' section contains further information and links to each individual council.

Click on the ISC documents below to see content.

State Training Authorities

The establishment of the ISCs by the Australian Government is recognised as part of a solid longer-term strategy to ensure future oriented, pro-active advisory bodies to inform the vocational education and training system.

With each ISC structured to mirror the key industry groupings in the Australian economy, the councils represent a significant shift from the silo thinking of the 25+ advisory bodies previously in place. These new arrangements have already succeeded in opening up an unprecedented level of cross-industry cooperation on skills development.

For the first time, industry has a set of truly independent, professional, not-for-profi t bodies that work with related industries across all jurisdictions to set the skill specifi cations for the 21st century workforce.

With the final ISC declared in May 2005, the councils have individually and collectively worked to deliver on their two key roles of:

• assisting industries, enterprises and their workforce to integrate skill development with economic and business goals and supporting accurate

industry intelligence on future directions – including provision of advice on industry skills and training needs to industry stakeholders, training providers and government.

• actively supporting the development, implementation and continuous improvement of high quality, nationally recognised training products and services – including enhancing innovation, rationalising materials where there are cross-industry synergies, and improving efficiency.

Collectively as the ISC Forum and individually as councils, the ISCs work systematically with those bodies integral to achieving industry’s skill needs, providing focus, coherence, independence, extensive networks and real industry leadership.