Australia invests $5.8Mn in national skills passport
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA — The Australian government has allocated AU$9.1 million (US$5.8 million) to develop a national skills passport aimed at modernizing the workforce and facilitating seamless verification of qualifications.
Similar to the Medicare app for health records, the digital platform could be used to store a person’s training and education qualifications that could be shared with employers.
“Our goal is to make it easier for workers to have their qualifications [recognized] and easier for employers to find the well-trained, highly qualified workers they need,” Treasurer Jim Chalmers said.
“It’s vital that we build a more agile and adaptable labor force. Our economy is rapidly changing, and the demands on workers and employers are changing too.”
Prominent entities, including the Business Council of Australia and several educational institutions, have expressed their support for this undertaking.
“A national skills passport could build on the National Credentials Platform (NCP) which aims to be a secure digital platform for students and graduates to access, compile, display, and share their higher education qualifications, micro credentials and general capabilities,” the universities accord report said.
The move aligns with international best practices like Singapore’s MySkillsFuture unified credentials platform.
