Tools to Support with Workforce Planning
A package of tools has been developed to support Industry Reference Committees (IRCs) and Skills Service Organisations (SSOs) to prepare Industry Skills Forecasts (ISF) and Cases for Change. Collectively, the tools provide guidance about how to integrate workforce planning principles into IRC processes and prepare an evidence base for training package changes.
The tools are designed to help IRCs understand current and emerging workforce requirements, career pathways, how roles link to training packages, and also identify training gaps.
The five tools can be used flexibly, recognising that IRCs operate in different industry contexts and structures. At a minimum, we recommend using the Checklist to ensure you have completed all the steps needed to prepare a high-quality submission for the AISC.
IRCs are expected to use workforce planning tools on a regular basis. Industries undergoing rapid change in job roles and skills may need to use the tools more frequently.
- The Mapping Tool is completed before the other tools to provide an initial understanding of the relationship between jobs and training in the industry context.
- The Data Guide summarises the types of quantitative data that should inform ISFs and how data can be used to understand or support changes in training products. The data analysis may also identify hypotheses to test with stakeholders.
- The Industry Engagement Guide sets out the scope of industry engagement needed to inform an ISF and what information needs to be collected. Industry engagement is needed to test hypotheses developed through the previous tools, identify additional skills issues, and to determine whether issues require a training product response.
- The Decision Tree provides a structured set of questions to help determine whether a training product response is needed. It is designed to help filter and prioritise work in ISF work plans and standalone Cases for Change.
- Finally, the completion of the Checklist confirms the ISF meets AISC requirements. The questions ensure that the analysis and logical tests in the preceding four tools have taken place and are evident in the ISF