Mar 25, 2025

NSW Public Sector ITAB March 2025 Newsletter

GTAN and WTAN March Forums – Resources now available

Facilitated by the NSW Public Sector ITAB, the Government & Public Safety and Water Industry Skills and Training Networks (GTAN and WTAN) meet regularly to discuss and address issues impacting skill development within the government, public safety, and water industries across metropolitan, regional, and rural NSW.

On behalf of both networks, I would like to extend my gratitude to all the presenters who generously shared their programs, insights and innovations at the GTAN & WTAN forums held on 4th and 5th March 2025.

Special thanks to our key speakers:

James Stroud, Niki Habibis and Brendon White (Public Skills Australia)
Peter O’Doherty (Office of Local Government NSW)
Sonny Neale (MNC Local Employment Facilitator, DEWR)
Devika Mudaliar (Local Government NSW)
George Wall (BuildSkills Australia)
Wayne Beatty and Jonathan Francis (Orange City Council)
Adrian Blinman (Trility Training Services)
Lisa Andersons (DCCEEW - Water)

Recordings and resources are now available for both forums. Two additional resources have been included - a discussion paper inviting feedback, ‘If not school, what?’ (MNC Workforce Australia Taskforce) and the Trility Training Services Subject List. Water industry stakeholders can view DCCEEW’s detailed slides covering the NSW LWU Workforce Composition Report and the Minimum Competency Benchmark for Water Operators.

Access Slides and Recordings

Fresh Start for Local Government Round 2 Grants now open

The NSW Government has committed $252.2 million over six years to help local councils build more sustainable workforces by supporting the recruitment of apprentices, trainees, and cadets.

With over 50,000 people already employed across 128 local councils, the initiative aims to strengthen career pathways for young professionals—many of whom begin their careers in local government and transition into local industry roles.

This initiative is part of a broader strategy to grow the local government workforce by 15%, with a strong emphasis on high-demand trades such as electrical, plumbing, engineering, civil construction, mechanics, and town planning.

More information on Round 2 applications is available on the Office of Local Government website. Applications close on 31 March 2025.

Interested councils are encouraged to review the Grant Guidelines, which outline program objectives, funding allocations, and assessment criteria.

Please review the Grant Guidelines, including details of proposed amendments subject to approval, and the Frequently Asked Questions below, before starting an application.

Register interest now for Mid North Coast Industry and Schools Forums

The NSW ITABs are partnering with the Mid North Coast Regional Industry and Education Partnerships Officers (RIEPs) to facilitate a series of three Local Industry & Schools Forums across the Mid North Coast region in May 2025

The forums will be held in Taree, Port Macquarie & Coffs Harbour on 27, 28, 29 May respectively. The primary aim is to link local employers and School key contacts (Careers Advisors, Principals and other key staff) and provide a platform to discuss local market trends, skill shortages, skill gaps and school-based apprenticeships and traineeships.

Employers interested in attending are invited to register their interest on this link (ALL interested attendees MUST register their interest individually)

Register now

The program is from 9am - 1pm and morning tea and lunch will be provided.

Location: Taree
Date: Tuesday 27th May

Location: Port Macquarie
Date: Wednesday 28th May

Location: Coffs Harbour
Date: Thursday 29th May

Sessions on the day will include region-based overviews by Regional Development Australia, an Employer panel, School panel, speed meet session, information on work placement and School-based Apprenticeships & Traineeships (SBAT).

NSW Water Sector excellence celebrated at 2025 AWA Awards

The Australian Water Association (AWA) honoured outstanding achievements in the water sector at the 2025 NSW Water Awards, presented during the NSW Heads of Water Gala Dinner on 14 March in Sydney.

The annual awards recognise individuals and organisations demonstrating leadership, innovation, and resilience in advancing water management.

2025 NSW Water Award Winners:

Organisational Excellence Award: SUEZ and Sydney Water – Recognised for managing water quality risks during extreme bushfires and floods through a joint approach that maintained safe drinking water for five million people.
R&D Excellence Award: SIMPaCT Collaboration – A partnership between Sydney Water, universities, and government agencies developed a smart irrigation system using environmental data and AI to improve urban cooling and water efficiency.
Infrastructure Project Innovation (Metro): Interflow – Honoured for an innovative sewer relining project in Sydney’s North that overcame access challenges with a creative delivery strategy.
Infrastructure Project Innovation (Regional): GHD and Liverpool Plains Shire Council – Celebrated for the Quipolly Water Project, which enhances drought resilience and water security for regional communities.

Student Water Prize: Xuli Meng (UTS) – Awarded for a real-time stormwater control system that boosts flood protection and urban water reuse.
Young Water Professional of the Year: Brendan Dagg (Beca Hunter H2O) – Recognised for his leadership in infrastructure design and dedication to mentoring future engineers.
Water Professional of the Year: Dammika Vitanage – Honoured for over four decades of groundbreaking work in water innovation, sustainability, and leadership.
Kamal Fernando Mentoring Award: Sally Rewell (Sydney Water) – Acknowledged for her leadership in operations and mentoring across the sector.

Award winners will go on to represent NSW at the national Australian Water Awards, to be announced at Ozwater’25 in Adelaide.

JSA launches Gender Framework to drive structural workforce equality

Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) has released the first version of its Gender Framework, aimed at reshaping labour market and skills policy through a gender equity lens. Developed in collaboration with JSA’s tripartite stakeholders, the framework follows a consultation process that began in February and remains open to ongoing feedback.

Designed to influence long-term structural reform, the framework promotes the integration of gender and intersectional analysis into workforce planning and decision-making.

It is built around five key principles:

Reforming data practices
Embedding intersectionality
Fostering collaboration and co-design
Developing meaningful insights and indicators
Demonstrating leadership and innovation

JSA emphasises that applying gendered and intersectional perspectives at both macro and micro levels can significantly enhance evidence-based policy development and accelerate progress toward gender economic equality.

Drone technology delivers lifesaving medication to flood-isolated NSW community

In a ground-breaking emergency response, Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) successfully used drone technology to deliver essential medication to a flood-isolated resident in northern New South Wales. The initiative supported the broader emergency operations led by the State Emergency Service (SES) in response to Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

Following a request from NSW Ambulance—who were unable to reach the patient due to floodwaters—FRNSW’s Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) team assessed and executed an aerial delivery. Urgent medication was collected from Lismore Hospital and safely delivered by drone to the stranded resident.

FRNSW’s Indigenous Liaison Team played a key role in the mission, maintaining communication with the patient and providing on-the-ground support. The team has also been visiting local communities and missions across Northern NSW this week to better understand local needs and assist in coordination with emergency services and councils.

This innovative use of drone technology highlights the evolving role of RPAS in emergency response and the importance of community-centred support during natural disasters.

Read the full article on the NSW Fire and Rescue website

NSW Training Awards

The NSW Training Awards are conducted annually by Training Services within the NSW Department of Education to recognise outstanding achievement in the vocational education and training sector.

Entries are now open for the 2025 NSW Training Awards. Students, teachers, training organisations and employers are encouraged to nominate and register. There is a range of Awards categories including both Individual and Organisational awards.

For more information and eligibility criteria, visit the NSW Education website.

As the nomination process can be daunting for those wishing to nominate a person/organisation or for the individual nominee, the Department’s website has provided submission tips and short videos to support all involved in the process.

ASQA investigates fraud and criminal activity in training sector

The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) is currently handling over 170 serious investigations involving 138 registered training organisations (RTOs), according to its latest Regulation Report.

These investigations, led by ASQA’s Investigations and Enforcement team, are focused on issues including fraudulent activity, fake qualifications, and links to criminal networks. Approximately 75% of these cases involve providers catering to international students, with more than two-thirds of the matters involving alleged fraud. Reported misconduct includes the sale of qualifications, fabricated assessments, non-existent training delivery ("ghost colleges"), misuse of public funding, and concerns related to visa and migration schemes.

ASQA also noted that over 60% of the active cases are part of broader inter-agency efforts, such as Operation INGLENOOK and the Fraud Fusion Taskforce, aimed at dismantling coordinated criminal operations within the sector.

In 2024, the regulator's Integrity Unit launched several targeted compliance campaigns to address suspected non-genuine providers. As part of these efforts, ASQA conducted 113 site inspections—over 70 of which took place in New South Wales and Victoria—focusing on institutions delivering training to overseas students.

These ongoing actions underscore ASQA’s commitment to maintaining integrity and public confidence in the vocational education and training (VET) sector.

Budget 2025–26: Skills, Training and Apprenticeships Highlights

The Australian Government’s 2025–26 Budget demonstrates a strong commitment to skills development and workforce growth, particularly in key sectors like construction and care.

Boost to Construction Workforce

The Government will double the current maximum incentive payments for housing construction apprentices from $5,000 to $10,000 from 1 July 2025. This aims to address workforce shortages and accelerate housing delivery.
Nearly 600,000 Free TAFE enrolments have been recorded between January 2023 and September 2024, including around 40,000 in construction-related courses.
Legislation has been introduced to make Free TAFE permanent, with 100,000 fee-free places per year funded from 1 January 2027.

Permanent Free TAFE and VET Investment

With a long-term target for 80% of the workforce to hold tertiary qualifications by 2050, Free TAFE is a cornerstone of the Government’s education strategy.
Almost half of all new jobs are expected to come through VET pathways, further underpinning this investment.

Support for the Care Workforce

The Budget includes $3.6 billion for early childhood education and care workforce pay increases and an additional $2.6 billion for aged care nurses from March 2025.
These measures aim to make the sector more attractive and sustainable, benefiting the largely female workforce in these industries.

University and Vocational Reform

A new tertiary education funding model is being introduced to support underrepresented students and future workforce needs.
The Commonwealth Practicum Payment, starting July 2025, will help students with placements in skills-shortage sectors.

These initiatives underscore the Government’s dual focus on tackling immediate workforce shortages—particularly in housing and care—while building a skilled, future-ready workforce.

National Jobs and Skills Council Update

Jobs and Skills Councils (JSCs) are a national network of industry owned and led organisations, designed to provide leadership in addressing national skills and training needs. They have been established to supply industry with a strong and strategic voice within the VET sector as part of broader government-led skills reform.

JSC activities affiliated to Public Sector industries are listed below.

Future Skills Organisation (FSO): FSO has a range of Projects underway which can be accessed using the following links:

BuildSkills Australia (BSA): BuildSkills is conducting both Training Product and Research Projects which can be accessed using the links below:

Water industry stakeholders should reach out to George Wall for any specific water sector issues.

Public Skills Australia (PSA): Public Skills Australia has a range of projects underway.

Find out more and/or provide feedback using the links below: