More than 210,000 workers and job seekers will be directly assisted by the Gillard Government’s foundation skills programs over the next four years.
Releasing the revised Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF) today, Parliamentary Secretary for Skills, Sharon Bird MP, said that improving literacy and numeracy skills from the lowest to middle level, as identified by the ABS Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey scale, can increase a person’s chance of getting a job by five to 15 percentage points, and increase their hourly wage rate by about 25 to 30 per cent.
“The Australian Government is committed to building the foundation skills of the workforce to give every Australian the chance to share in the benefits of Australia’s strong national economy,” Ms Bird said. “In our last two budgets we have invested an additional $297.8 million over four years in programs to improve the foundation skills of the Australian workforce.
“The $115 million 2010 Foundation Skills Package and the $182.8 million 2011 Building Australia’s Future Workforce package will expand program delivery to assist more than 72,000 workers and 140,000 job-seekers over the next four years. “Giving more Australians the skills they need to join the workforce will help drive
productivity. “Improved literacy and numeracy skills will not only benefit the individual, but also the economy, as more people get the opportunity to share the benefits of our strong economy.”
The ACSF is a tool to support and improve Australian adults’ language, literacy and numeracy skills. It is part of the Government’s $784 million investment to give employees the foundation skills required to meet the challenges facing a 21st century workforce.
Further information about the ACSF can be found at: www.deewr.gov.au/acsf