Skills for Growth is a strategic planning and workforce development program run by the Government of Victoria that provides small and medium businesses in the State of Victoria with free access to skilled business consultants and to employee training opportunities. The program’s objective is to help the owners of small and medium businesses attain higher levels of success by identifying the key objectives and goals of their businesses and assessing and addressing skills shortages in thier workforce.

Some of the key benefits of the Skills for Growth program include:

- Superior business performance and productivity

- Increased workforce efficiency and effectiveness

- Enhanced capacity for innovation

- Broader employee skill set

- Decreased costs

All of which, of course, lead to the realization of the ultimate benefit for businesses: improved profits.

Skills for Growth Program Background

Because the Government of Victoria recognised the fact that small and medium businesses are the key driver of the state’s economy – they make up about ninety nine percent of all businesses and employ around one milliion people – they decided to create and fund – to the tine of $52 million – the Skills for Growth program in an effort to ensure their continued competitiveness and growth.

The Skills for Growth program was rolled out in April of 2009 with a panel of 25 different Service Providers – who were chosen after the conclusion of a lengthy evaluation process – that have been approved to provide – working in tandem with workforce planning and training Specialists – accredited training to businesses that sign up for the program.

Skills for Growth Structure

After a business registers with the Skills for Growth program (which can be done by visiting the website at www.business.vic.gov.au/skillsforgrowth) and selects a Service Provider that best suits its needs, the Service Provider assigns an independent workforce planning and training Specialist who contacts the business owner and arranges for an on-site visit.

Workforce planning and training Specialists must have successfully completed a Training and Assessment (TAA) training course and an accredited training course on Assess Informal Learning (AIL), a prerequisite for which is the successful completion of a number of key units from Certificate IV.

The program basically unfolds in two phases.

Phase 1

The first phase of the program involves a workforce planning and training Specialist carrying out a business review that leads to the development of a workforce development plan. A workforce development plan details, among other things, opportunities for upskilling the workforce and makes recommendations for training.

Following are the steps to the first phase of the Skills for Growth program:

- The completion of a business review that plots out the business’ strategic direction and identifies key business needs

- Assessing the capabilities and training needs of the workforce, especially as they relate to the strategic direction of the business

- The development of a Workforce Training and Action Plan that details the business and employee capability needs and that also provides recommendations for relevant training courses and learning opportunities

The first phase of the Skills for Growth program is free for businesses to take part in.

Phase 2

In Phase Two, business owners/managers must first decide whether or not to proceed with the recommendations made by the workforce planning and training Specialist.

Basic overview of the key steps of the second phase:

- Facilitating the placement of staff into training course with accredited training organisations

- The completion of a follow-up reivew after the completion of training (or after at least three months of training has been completed) and of a Skills for Growth report which is reviewed and approved by the owners and/or managers of the business

Although there are costs associated with the second phase of the Skills for Growth program, a business’ staff may be eligible for the Victorian Training Guarantee which can provide significant subsidies for Victorians who are placed into recognised vocational training courses. Eligibility is determined by a number of different factors – including: age, educational background, citizenship, and residency status.

The Skills for Growth program typically takes four weeks to complete, with the follow-up review generally completed after six months.

Skills for Growth Program Eligibility

The program is open to all Victoria-based small and medium businesses. Other eligibility requirements include:

- Employ between 1 and 200 people

- Have at least 12 months trading history

- Be financially viable (effective trading history and ability to meet debts when they fall due)

The eligibility requirements are obviously set to maximize participation in the program.

Key Numbers on the Uptake of Skills for Growth

By the end of January 2010, Skills for Growth had reached the following milestones:

- 1,648 businesses had registered for the Skills for Growth program

- 667 workforce action plans had been approved by businesses

- 17,934 employee training plans had been approved by businesses

- 10,488 approved training plans were eligible for the Victorian Training Guarantee

Those numbers show that the Skills for Growth program uptake has been strong. So, too, have the results that many businesses have seen from their participation in the program, which you can read about in the case studies published on the Business Victoria website.

If you own or manage a Victoria-based business – and your business ticks the other “eligibility boxes” – you should really consider checking out the Skills for Growth program.