SkillsIQ NSW ITAB recently hosted the Annual Industry Forum in Parramatta with 70 delegates in attendance.  Speakers included, The Hon. Steven Whan, MP, Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education; David Collins, Executive Director TSNSW; Sherman Chan from Business NSW, Paul Nicolaou from Business Sydney and Professor Simon Darcy from University of Technology Sydney.

Claire Field provided an informative session about the current reviews in the VET sector at both state and federal level.  Jason Sultana provided valuable information about how employers/industry can work with the Apprentice Employment Network NSW & ACT to manage apprentices and trainees. While David Beirman discussed Risk, Crisis, Resilience and Recovery Management in the Tourism Sector.

A feature of the Forum is to allow each industry sector to participate in a Breakout Session and discuss issues relevant to their sector.  Lori Modde, Chair of the Sport, Fitness & Recreation Industry Advisory Committee facilitated a lively conversation of industry representatives.

Desired outcomes include:

• A better trained and informed workforce where cross-pollination might provide for a more fulfilling career path
• Flexibility with qualifications structure and improved RPL processes to consider experience, non-accredited training & overseas qualifications
• Potential funding for part qualifications
• Improved consistency of delivery across the state
• Appropriate ANSZCO Codes to properly reflect the industry sectors
• Earlier career conversations and improved school-based apprenticeships and traineeships.

The issue of funding for delivery of training for outdoor recreation and leadership qualifications was of significance with the acknowledgment that the units of competency are more expensive to deliver because of the nature of the activities and the ratio of students to trainers.  Reduced funding clearly restricts the number of hours of training, and this can lead to increased risk when leading outdoor activities, something that no employer, VET provider or participant wants to see.

Outdoors NSW & ACT was pleased to put our name behind the Australian National Volunteer Strategy. Volunteers form 36% of the outdoor workforce in NSW & ACT.

The National Strategy for Volunteering, is being implemented through a three-year action plan, which is highly relevant to Outdoors NSW & ACT as it emphasises community building, enhancing volunteer experiences, and ensuring the sustainability of volunteering efforts, which aligns with our values.

To read more about the National Strategy for Volunteering, follow the embedded link​.

The Back Country Committee of ONSWACT released the Snow Activities Discussion Paper with the aim of moving towards a Snow Good Practice Guide that could be considered as part of the AAAS Framework. The Paper is available now for organisations leading dependent led groups in the snow country to see if their procedures are in line with the recommendations or if changes need to be made. On the 16 October, there will be an accessible summit that will discuss the feedback from the industry after the 2024 Snow Season. 

Access the paper and portal for feedback here.

This month we highlighted the new rules and requirements for not-for-profit organisations when it comes to income tax. Those that are companies limited by guarantee or incorporated entities now need to ensure they complete the required forms for the ATO to continue self-assessment at year end June 2024.

The changes require non-charitable NFPs with an active Australian business number (ABN) to lodge an annual NFP self-review return to self-assess their eligibility for income tax exemption. Members can watch the Connect & Share recording on the topic for more information. 

ONSWACT's Trail Bike Committee has been working with Crown Lands, NSW NPWS and Forestry Corp on key messaging for trail bike riders when using public trails in the network. "No licence, No Rego, No Ride" resulted in a youtube video and a flyer that will be distributed by stakeholders.

12months after the first ONSWACT facilitated Mountain Bike Forum, the stakeholders again regrouped to discuss what is happening in the industry and where we are at in relation to the challenges and opportunities of the sector.

All the discussed items will be brought into the MTB Symposium that will be held in Merimbula on 25 & 26 October 2024. Tickets will be going on sale in June 2024. 

https://outdoors.kartra.com/page/MTBSymposium

Members have asked about opportunities to ensure continual professional development in the so-called 'hard skills' for our industry and, as a result, the Incident Response and Risk Management Committee have led the introduction of our Professional Development Sessions. These have commenced with the Roping Skills Refresher being the first opportunity for our industry leaders. This sold out session was run on 31 May and covered roping methods, equipment and situations where various techniques in roping are used. A huge thank you to Blue Mountains Climbing School who led this session. More PD Sessions will be coming soon.