Wednesday, 9 September 2026

 Anthony CIANFLONE (Pascoe Vale) (10:23): I rise to support the Legislative Assembly’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee inquiry report into student pathways to in-demand industries. I commend the chair, the member for Bellarine, for tabling and just speaking to the substance of the report. Victoria’s economy is undergoing significant and rapid change, and a growing and ageing population is increasing demand for workers in health care, construction and other essential sectors. At the same time, climate change and fast-moving technological advances are reshaping industries and transforming the types of jobs that will be available for people in the years ahead. As a result, students and workers will need to navigate an increasingly complex world of work.

According to the Victorian Skills Authority, as we highlight in the report, over 1.4 million workers will be needed in Victoria by 2035. This includes both people filling newly created jobs and workers replacing those who retire. It is forecast that 87 per cent of those workers and jobs will need post-secondary qualifications. Of the approximately 1.5 million workers, there are about 716,000 that will be in occupations generally aligned with vocational education and training qualifications and about 551,000 occupations aligned with university level qualifications. The industries forecast to experience the greatest growth over the next decade, accounting for around 42 per cent of all new workers, are in health care and social assistance, that is about 16.3 per cent or 363,000 workers; then professional, scientific and technical service, that is 10.5 per cent or 136,000 workers; retail trade, 9.4 per cent or 108,000 workers; the education and training sector, 9.2 per cent or 139,000 workers; and construction, 9 per cent or 162,000 workers.

These industries will require new aged care workers, disability carers, registered nurses, carpenters, joiners, construction managers and plumbers, amongst so many others. As well as industries that employ a large number of people, the government, through our report and the committee, have identified new and emerging industries as in demand. These include some of the sectors outlined in the government’s Economic Growth Statement, which are the backbone of Victoria’s economy and focus for future growth. We highlighted advanced manufacturing and defence, health technologies and medical research, clean and circular economy, digital technologies and agribusiness. I want to highlight as well major events, the visitor economy, the arts, creative cultural industries, all of which continue to be drivers for our economy. The transport sector was also identified as a key area of growth.

As Victoria’s economy and labour market changes, the skills and qualifications needed to participate will continue to evolve. To ensure Victoria can meet these workforce demands and avoid skills shortages, workers, students, parents and caregivers will need clear pathways and career guidance. This especially is the case for those new and emerging industries and even traditional industries that will be increasingly disrupted and impacted, requiring workers to have stronger digital and technical skills which are envisaged to greatly boost productivity and efficiency over the coming years if we can manage and guide that growth correctly.

That is why on 20 May 2025 the committee received its terms of reference. We called for submissions on 10 June 2025, with 280 stakeholders contacted and 141 submissions received from industry groups, unions, educational institutions and organisations representing school staff, students and families. Between November 2025 and March 2026 the committee held seven days of extensive public hearings: three in Melbourne, two online, one in Warrnambool and one in Geelong. We also consulted young people aged 18 to 25 through the committee youth associates. All 10 of them did a magnificent job in advocating on behalf of the interests of young people, many of whom are here today. I particularly want to acknowledge Sienna Seychell from my electorate of Pascoe Vale, who was a proactive member, like all the other members, of the committee, in voicing the views and priorities of young people. As a result we put forward a total, when combined, of around 100 collective findings and recommendations.

As part of the inquiry we also identified many key challenges, barriers, opportunities and areas in need of policy reform if we are to meet our employment, skill and industrial demands. These include the inconsistency of career education and counselling, especially across our secondary schools; the need to introduce age-appropriate career education even earlier in primary schools; work-based learning, training and experience opportunities – the absence of a statewide coordinated approach to work experience for year 10 students, for example; challenges around school-to-work transition on both the student side and the employer side; the influence of parents and industry or job preconceptions from families; attitudes towards universities and TAFEs and completion rates; opportunities, challenges, incentives and disincentives around apprenticeships and traineeships for both young people and employers; the positive role of free TAFE in creating more opportunities; all of the roles played by universities, TAFEs and registered training organisations; the versatility and growing interest in micro-credentialing; access to VET and vocational majors across our secondary schools; cost affordability and logistical barriers for students training and employing, including in regional areas – that was a particular highlight; the need for greater collaboration across all levels of government, industry, education and community to align pathways; barriers for multicultural and diverse backgrounds; and the importance of lifelong learning. We put forward a number of recommendations. I thank all the committee members.