Workshop (40 minutes) – maximum of four speakers/facilitators per workshop TAFE Directors Australia Convention 2024

Skills solutions in Southeast Asia – TAFE Supporting 'Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040' (102386)

Robbie van Dijk 1 , Prashil Singh 1 , Jeremy Glover 1 , Kylie Dillon 1
  1. RMIT UNIVERSITY, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Presenters: Prashil Singh, Director Partnerships and Jeremy Glover, Program Manager Global Business & Leadership, College of Vocational Education RMIT 

Workshop Abstract (40 minutes) 

There is growing demand in Southeast Asia for Australia’s vocational education and training capabilities as the region attempts to meet global, technological, and economic challenges that require a strong focus on skills solutions. Vocational education has been identified in the Australian Government’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 as being integral to supporting the region’s skills uplift as it navigates the post-pandemic world.   

RMIT’s College of Vocational Education was funded by the Australian Government under the Aus4Skills Program funding to deliver programs to build capability within Vietnam to address identified workforce needs.  In this case, it was strengthening Vietnam’s VET logistics training in response to the Government of Vietnam’s goal to increase productivity and competitiveness and to meet the sector’s workforce demand. The International forum held in October 2023, focused on the need to share models and experiences in skills development, identify challenges and propose policies and solutions to VET development in Vietnam including the adaption to digital transformation, and how Vietnam and Australia could continue to work together to strengthen Vietnam’s VET training.  

Learnings from the International Forum indicated that vocational education in Australia is well placed to build capability and skills solutions in Vietnam.  

This workshop will focus on group discussion of the following: 

  1. What opportunities and barriers does Australian VET have to transforming our engagement with Southeast Asia through skills development?  
  1. What can this sector do to encourage investment and strategies for VET development in Southeast Asia?  
  1. What are some best practice examples of skills development that could be used in Southeast Asia to provide skills uplift in critical areas of workforce need?