Industry collaboration is widely recognised as a critical factor in achieving sustainable outcomes within the vocational education and training (VET) sector. South West TAFE’s Mobile Skills Lab initiative was developed through a co-design process that positioned industry partners as active contributors via an advisory committee, rather than passive recipients of training services. This collaborative model ensured that stakeholder perspectives were embedded in program design, thereby strengthening relevance, ownership, and long-term impact.
The initiative sought to address four key barriers contributing to workforce shortages in the aged care and disability sectors across rural and regional Victoria: geographic isolation, limited availability of flexible training models, the financial and temporal burden associated with travel, and the reliance on an ageing and casualised workforce. Traditional access to nationally recognised qualifications and professional development opportunities has been constrained by the high cost of delivery and limited willingness of providers to service these regions.
In response, South West TAFE and the Mobile Skills Lab introduced traineeships and upskilling opportunities for existing employees, facilitating a “learn while you earn” approach that supports workforce resilience and community capacity building. Three elements were identified as essential to the success of the initiative: robust industry collaboration, curriculum redesign to prioritise early acquisition of core competencies, and mobility in training delivery to ensure accessibility at the point of need.
Robert Peoples, an experienced practitioner with more than 25 years in the care economy and education sectors, has played a central role in advancing this model. Drawing on extensive industry knowledge, he has developed and implemented strategies to enhance workforce capability and professional development. This case study, presented at the 2025 Aged Care Workforce Leaders Conference, demonstrates the efficacy of mobile, collaborative training models in addressing workforce challenges and provides a replicable framework for broader application within the VET sector.