Future Skills Organisation launches

Minister for Skills and Training Brendan O’Connor has established the Future Skills Organisation (FSO), a new body tasked with addressing Australia’s digital skills shortages.

The FSO will be led by CEO Patrick Kidd, and will act as the Finance, Technology and Business Jobs and Skills Council (JSC), one of several JSCs with the mandate to implement the federal government’s jobs and skills plans.

As part of its remit, the FSO will develop strategies to help address skills shortages in areas such as digital technology, and will seek to future-proof skills and training for the finance, technology and business sectors.

Kidd said the new organisation will have an opportunity to unlock critical skills that will be vital to advancing Australia’s economy.

“This is an exciting day for the future of skills, learning and training in Australia. As a JSC, we look forward to working with government, training providers, unions, employers and importantly, learners and employees, to deliver world-class outcomes and make Australia more competitive,” he said.

“We will start by understanding and defining the skills and challenges facing employers by utilising data and feedback to forecast current and emerging opportunities.”

The FSO will be overseen by a board chaired by Cochlear, Santos and QBE non-executive director Yasmin Allen AM. Allen said the organisation aims to include all Australians in the transition to a digital economy.

“The only way we can do that is to ensure everyone has real access to training and development in a contemporary and timely way. Finance, technology and business intersect with our personal and professional lives every single day; it’s critical that we get it right,” she said.

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