The Earn and Learn initiative is a pioneering pilot program designed to address critical workforce shortages in Victorian local government thorough co-designed education and employment pathways. At the heart of this initiative is a powerful partnership between four dual-sector institutions- RMIT (project lead), Federation, Swinburne and Victoria University- working together as a consortium to deliver scalable, flexible, and locally responsive training solutions.
This presentation will showcase how the consortium model leverages the unique strengths of each partner to:
- Rapidly identify and respond to local government skill gaps
- Co-design tailored training offerings with councils across metropolitan, regional, and rural Victoria
- Deliver both accredited and bespoke programs through workplace-based learning
- Embed mentoring and wraparound supports to improve retention and student success
The dual-sector nature of the consortium enables seamless integration of vocational and higher education expertise, fostering innovation in curriculum design, delivery, and evaluation, and facilitating the delivery of effective solutions to meet complex needs.
Attendees will gain insights into:
- Leveraging multi-institutional TAFE partnerships to drive systemic workforce transformation
- How consortium models unlock enhanced project performance and outcomes
- Collaborative approaches that expand TAFE capability for complex, scalable solutions
- Strategies for effective co-design with large-scale industry partners
- Building comprehensive evidence bases on successful models for replication and scaling across projects