Projects
Home Grown
About the project
From 2009 to 2011, SkillsHub pioneered the Home Grown project to build a new supply of graduates with the right mix of skills to enter and excel in Victoria's outdoor industries. The project arose from industry concerns that there was an inadequate supply of local entry-level candidates and lack of mid-tier professionals with competent leadership skills. Over the course of the Home Grown project, SkillsHub worked closely with industry to strategically rebuild the skills base of industry entrants and existing employees.
Outcomes
Home Grown has successfully stimulated demand for training across Victoria's outdoor industries. Following completion of the project, training providers reported an increase in individuals undertaking training in the outdoor industries. This is supported by recent Skills Victoria data that shows an increase of training in outdoor recreation from between 100 and 200 per cent from 2010 to 2011. The Home Grown project also improved employer awareness around traineeships resulting in a greater uptake of traineeships from Certificate III Outdoor Recreation to Diploma of Outdoor Recreation. Two of the major providers of outdoor recreation qualifications reported a 50 per cent increase in the number of trainees! Funding is now available to undertake traineeships at the diploma level, providing a new means to ‘up-skill’ existing industry professionals.
In addition to promoting training, SkillsHub has engaged the outdoor industries in workforce planning and development. This has resulted in a new Victorian Workforce Development Strategy for the Outdoor Industries that includes data on the size and market segments within the industry, the numbers of recent VET graduates, information on career paths and recommendations for future workforce and skills development opportunities. Click here to view the the strategy.
For more information on the work SkillsHub has been doing in the outdoor sector please contact Genevieve Wearne, CEO, SkillsHub genevieve@skillshub.com.au
Image supplied by the Outdoor Education Group.
