Global Competitiveness, Innovation and Creativity

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Global Competitiveness, Innovation and Creativity
how can education and training respond?

• IFC International Conference
• March 10th, 2005
• Barry White
• IFC Ltd

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Information isnt knowledge!

• Albert Einstein

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Australias changing textile landscape

• Focus now on small scale, design driven firms
  with few employees
• Emphasis on specialisation, innovation and niche
  markets
• TCF still a large part of the manufacturing
  sector 64,000 employees, 9 billion in revenue
  (2000/01)
• Victoria the largest TCF manufacturing State

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Productivity Commission review - 2003

• ...with the growing emphasis on innovation, an
  appropriately skilled workforce and supportive
  education and training infrastructure are
  becoming more important to the future
  international competitiveness of the sector.

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Australian TCF profile

• TCF has lower skill profile than manufacturing
  generally (62 compared with 46 classified as
  low skilled)
• Skill base well below where it needs to be for
  international competitiveness

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Australian TCF profile

• Ageing workforce
• Decline apprenticeships and skills
• Negative perceptions of TCF as a career choice
• Loss of critical mass of skills
• Fewer training providers (commercially driven
  like other businesses
• Failure of training institutions to adapt to
  changing industry skills needs
• Declining interest in training by industry
• Need for both production skills and increasingly,
  specialist knowledge

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Future Skills requirements

• Increasingly non traditional textile activities
• The TCF Post 2005 Assistance Package
• Decline in formal education and training
• Victoria has the only dedicated industry training
  program the IFC

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The IFC

• Training and Education Projects Program
• Specialised Training Partnerships Program
• www.ifc.net.au

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(No Transcript)
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Linking Information and Training

• Objective is high quality information and
  effective delivery
• Industry must take greater responsibility (the
  Victorian TCFL Strategic Audit 2000)
• Restructuring of the IFC and the recently
  established Specialist Skills Centre for Textiles
  at RMIT Brunswick

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Linking, Research, Education Industry
Industry
Research
Industry
Research
Education
Education
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A greater role for CSIRO TFT?
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Conclusion

• Need for a national, coordinated and
  collaborative approach
• Role for Federal and State Governments, industry,
  education and research..and
• Time for a drink!!!