Adam Boyton has been announced as the National Skills Commissioner.
As Interim National Skills Commissioner, Mr Boyton (pictured) has been instrumental in the establishment of the National Skills Commission (NSC), which formally commenced on 1 July 2020, directing its work to become a trusted authority on the labour market and skills.
The NSC is a critical new part of Australia’s economic infrastructure, providing expert advice and national leadership on the Australian labour market, current and future skills needs and workforce development issues. Its leadership will also be integral to the reform of the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system.
Mr Boyton’s appointment comes after the National Skills Commissioner Act 2020 established a new statutory position to provide advice to the Minister and the Secretary of the Department of Education, Skills and Employment on Australia’s current, emerging and future workforce skills needs, including the performance of our VET system.
Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash, said that the NSC under Mr Boyton will have a pivotal role in the Australian Government’s skills reform agenda.
“Ensuring that Australians have the right skills in areas of demand for the future has never been more important as our economy recovers from COVID-19,” Minister Cash said.
“Our recovery will be a skills-led recovery and the NSC will provide expert advice and national leadership on the labour market to inform current and future skills needs. The importance of good data and information to forecast future employment trends and labour market needs is integral to this.”
“As the interim National Skills Commissioner, Mr Boyton successfully led the rapid establishment of the NSC and made considerable progress towards NSC priorities in a dramatically changing economic environment. I am pleased he will be able to continue this work as the National Skills Commissioner.”
Mr Boyton will lead the NSC to project future employment by industry, occupation, region and skill level; provide improved data and advice on VET pricing; and importantly, analyse the impact of COVID-19 on the labour market.
Mr Boyton was previously the Chief Economist at the Business Council of Australia and before that the Australian Chief Economist at Deutsche Bank. He has been a member of the New South Wales Skills Board and closely involved in the continuous review and assessment of VET in New South Wales.
Mr Boyton’s five-year appointment will commence on 13 October 2020.
To find out more on how the National Skills Commission will play a key role in Australia’s skills and VET reform agenda, visit nationalskillscommission.gov.au.
Re-appointment of Workplace Gender Equality Agency director
Libby Lyons’ tenure as Director of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has been extended until 20 April 2021.
Minister for Women Marise Payne said the Agency is currently finalising the development and implementation of a new online reporting and data management system that was funded through the 2018 Women’s Economic Security Statement.
“This is an important project that will streamline and improve the reporting process for employers, enable WGEA to improve the quality and analysis of data it collects, and allow for the submission of voluntary data from organisations and bodies not covered by the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012,” she said.
“The new reporting system is scheduled to “go live” for the next reporting period on 1 April 2021. The Government welcomes Ms Lyons’ continuation in her role to oversee this important project through to its completion.
“I would like to acknowledge Ms Lyons’ leadership of the Agency particularly over the past 6 months, in successfully assisting the business community to report their workplace gender equality data during a period of significant disruption, and ensuring the continuation of this essential longitudinal dataset. I look forward to the release of this year’s data in November.”
