A National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) publication which was released on the 28 July 2021 states that “The impact of COVID-19 on industry innovation, skills and the need for training”, reports on the latest research which examined different ways businesses responded to the pandemic and the extent to which innovation was an element of their response.
The report was based on interviews with three case study industries—manufacturing; healthcare (including aged care and pharmacy); and hospitality and tourism—it showed they adapted to changing conditions during the pandemic, rather than innovated.
It found, “A limited amount of training was required for the innovations or adaptations businesses made, with most staff able to transfer existing skills to any new tasks.”
Key messages in the Report were:
- “Most businesses adapted to changing conditions during the pandemic, rather than innovated.
- A limited amount of training was required for the innovations or adaptations made, with most staff able to transfer existing skills to any new tasks.
- Where training was undertaken, it was mostly unaccredited and done informally on the job or via free online training (from government, industry associations or vendor websites). Where accredited training was used, such as in the aged care sector, it tended to be conducted online.
- Some businesses reported that VET was irrelevant to their needs (even pre-pandemic), while
- others reported that VET should be more agile or responsive to the conditions and provide training of short duration.
- Barriers to innovation during the pandemic included a lack of financial resources, limited innovation options and the conservative nature of their sector, as well as survival of the business being a higher priority. A lack of skills or inability to access training was not identified as a barrier to innovation.”
Access the report: THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON INDUSTRY INNOVATION, SKILLS AND THE NEED FOR TRAINING
