From an Australian Skills Taxonomy to a Skills Ontology

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The relationship between Australian VET qualifications and the jobs they are aligned to is not tight enough in many industry sectors and job roles.

If you don’t work firsthand across a spectrum of competencies, qualifications and Training Packages then this direct evidence might not be obvious to you.

Did you know that when building a skills profile for a job role:

  1. It usually takes 2-4 qualifications worth of skills to cover the depth and breadth of the job role
  2. Those competencies and skills are drawn from 2-4 (at least) different Training Packages
  3. And across multiple AQF levels

So, 1 qualification = 1 job is never the case in the real world.  This is a key reason why there has been damning feedback from employers and industry groups on out-of-date VET products that lack innovation and foresight.

If you were to map a career or an individual’s skills say in the case of retrenchment or job transfer, drawing from Australian Training Packages, there could be hundreds of competencies identified.  In these examples it is important to take a Training Package agnostic approach to cover all the skills, and then map back to qualifications with evidence if formal accreditation is needed, but oft it is not.

Now let’s delete the phrase, “One size fits all” from our VET/TVET vocab and move on.

Of the 1200 qualifications, 15 000+ units and 650 accredited courses it is easy to identify double, triple and quadruple ups.  It is a relatively simple process to streamline as most multiplication is in the form of foundation skills in every package (change to 21st Century Literacies) and functional skills, for example leadership, management, marketing, digital skills.

And in introducing a skills taxonomy, the first step should be reshaping what we already have, looking at obvious gaps, areas to be developed and heritage skills to be kept.

The model for developing qualifications and VET products shouldn’t be as hard as it is, and with engagement there can be an efficient process to:

  • Identify the job roles for now and at least a 3-year window into the future
  • Design draft skills profiles for each job role
  • Validate with employers, industry, unions and VET providers comparing existing and future job descriptions, not personal views, agendas and perspectives
  • Socialisation of the skills profiles, with units of competencies to cover the job role, and relevant qualifications outlined

You need real examples to design jobs skills profiles without being bound by qualification structures, and I haven’t seen enough examples of this approach, rather just fitting within a qualification or an industry sector.  But, AI and digital doesn’t work like that, neither does clean energy and the hydrogen sector, or Future Made in Australia.

What VET products and qualifications in Australia need is a 4 layered cake:

  1. 21st Century Literacies
  2. Functional Skills
  3. Industry Essential Skills
  4. Job Specific Skills

And the Australian Skills Taxonomy is a step forward.

In an ever-evolving job market, the demand for specific skills is more dynamic than ever.  Australia’s recent move towards developing a National Skills Taxonomy aims to address these shifts, creating a framework to better understand and utilise the skills within the workforce. However, as global trends indicate, the future lies in not just taxonomies but in the more advanced concept of skills ontologies and skills intelligence.

The National Skills Taxonomy initiative by Jobs and Skills Australia represents a positive move in organising and defining the skills necessary for the workforce. As outlined in the discussion paper, this taxonomy aims to create a structured list of skills required across various sectors, enhancing clarity and standardisation.

The primary objectives of the Australian Skills Taxonomy include:

  1. Standardisation: Establishing a common language for skills that can be universally understood across industries.
  2. Alignment: Ensuring that skills definitions align with the needs of employers, educators, and policy-makers.
  3. Forecasting: Enhancing the ability to predict future skill needs based on current trends and data.
  4. Training and Development: Providing a clear framework that can inform educational and training programs, ensuring they are relevant and targeted.

While this taxonomy provides a solid foundation, the global trend is moving towards a more nuanced approach – the skills ontology.

Moving Beyond Taxonomy: Embracing Skills Ontology

A skills ontology goes beyond merely listing skills. It involves understanding the relationships and contexts in which these skills are used. According to the Gloat blog, a skills ontology provides a more comprehensive framework by:

  1. Mapping Relationships: Identifying how skills interconnect and complement each other within different job roles and industries.
  2. Contextual Relevance: Recognising the contexts in which skills are applied, thus providing a deeper understanding of their practical utility.
  3. Dynamic Evolution: Adapting to changes more fluidly by continuously updating the relationships and relevance of skills as industries evolve.
  4. Personalisation: Enabling more tailored approaches to workforce development by understanding individual skill profiles in greater depth.

This shift from taxonomy to ontology reflects a broader trend towards precision and adaptability in workforce planning and development.

The Benefits of Adopting a Skills Ontology

The adoption of a skills ontology offers several significant advantages:

  1. Enhanced Career Pathways By understanding the interrelationships between skills, individuals can navigate career pathways more effectively, identifying transferable skills and new opportunities.
  2. Targeted Training Educational institutions and training providers can develop more targeted programs that not only teach relevant skills but also emphasise their application in various contexts.
  3. Improved Workforce Mobility Employers can better identify skill gaps and potential within their existing workforce, facilitating internal mobility and upskilling.
  4. Strategic Workforce Planning Policy-makers and industry leaders can make more informed decisions based on a detailed understanding of how skills interact within the economy by applying strategic foresight.

Fast Steps Towards a CB Skills Ontology

The Australian Skills Taxonomy is a commendable step towards standardising and clarifying the skills landscape. However, to keep pace with global trends and the dynamic nature of the workforce, moving towards a skills ontology is essential. This approach will provide a more detailed and interconnected understanding of skills, facilitating better workforce development, training, and career progression.

By embracing a skills ontology, Australia can not only enhance its current workforce planning and development but also future-proof its economy against the ever-changing demands of the global job market. The evolution from taxonomy to ontology represents a shift towards a more sophisticated and responsive approach to skills management, ultimately benefiting individuals, employers, and the broader economy.

A question that is unanswered if VET and Higher Education use the same system – does this mean that everything is based upon Competency Based Education (CBE) or not?  Interested to hear your thoughts about this blog and topics raised.

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