8 May 2026
The Brotherhood of St. Laurence (BSL) is a social justice organisation working towards an Australia free of poverty. Our purpose is to advance a fair Australia through our leadership on policy reform, our partnerships with communities and the quality of our services. Our approach is informed directly by people experiencing disadvantage and uses evidence drawn from our research, together with insights from our programs and services, to develop practical solutions that work.
BSL values the role played by Jobs and Skills Australia in undertaking research and analysis on the labour market and Vocational Education and Training (VET) system, and welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation on the 2026–27 Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) work plan development. BSL endorses the proposed focus on integrated evidence to support employment services reform, including how training, pathways and skills development interact with employment outcomes.
BSL makes three recommendations in response to the consultation paper.
Recommendations
Recommendation 1: JSA should establish an annual equity and inclusion report card that presents national, state and regional data on access to, completion of and outcomes from entry and re-entry to VET; specifically for priority groups and under-represented learners.
Recommendation 2: JSA should trial longitudinal tracking of enrolees who do not complete a qualification, with a focus on priority and under-represented learners. This can identify key high-risk attrition points and patterns, and inform the effective targeting of investments to address non-completion.
Recommendation 3: JSA should undertake modelling to identify alternative subsidy and payment schemes to increase the uptake of ‘earn while you learn’ pathways in critical sectors (including early years, aged care, disability care and digital technology occupations).