The National Careers Institute (NCI) ensures Australians have access to reliable and accurate careers information, resources, and support.
On this page:
Our vision is to be Australia’s recognised source of independent careers information for Australians of all ages and at all stages of their career.
We support the Government's commitment to strengthening and modernising Australia’s education, skills, and employment sectors.
As the NCI formed, we consulted more than 10,000 experts and stakeholders across Australia to help guide our direction and frame our areas of focus.
The foundation of our work is the world-leading labour market intelligence provided by Jobs and Skills Australia, a partner who we work with and are regularly informed by.
The strategic direction of our work is guided by the NCI Advisory Board. Members of the Board represent a diverse cross-section of Australian business, industry, and education providers.
The NCI’s Strategic Plan outlines our five strategic priorities over the next three years to continue our progress in supporting a strong and effective career services system.
Since we commenced on 1 July 2019, we have:
- Delivered yourcareer.gov.au to provide people of all ages and stages access to reliable careers information
- Delivered the School Leavers Information Kit and School Leavers Information Service to provide school leavers and young people aged 15 to 24 with tailored careers support
- Administered our Partnerships Grants program to encourage business and industry to work together to improve career outcomes
- Promoted the benefits of Australian apprenticeships and Vocational Education and Training (VET) via Real Skills for Real Careers, the Australian Training Awards and the Australian VET Alumni
- Continue to administer the Training.gov.au website and the My Skills website.
Consultation and co-design workshops
In 2019, we worked alongside the National Skills Commission and the Skills Organisation Pilots to conduct a series of workshops. The purpose of these workshops was to discuss and frame:
- The role, priorities and goals of the NCI
- The work of the National Skills Commission, who oversee the Australian Government’s investment in VET qualifications and promote a nationwide approach to skills forecasting
- The work of the Skills Organisation Pilots, who give industry more ownership across the national skills pipeline and help improve the national training system for both industry and students.
Workshop findings and materials from other stakeholder consultations are summarised in our ‘This is what we heard’ report.
Note: In November 2022, Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) was established. JSA is a statutory body that will provide independent advice on current, emerging, and future workforce, skills, and training needs. JSA will carry forward the work commenced by the National Skills Commission.
Engagement with industry
We support industries and employers through the provision of authoritative and accurate careers information, assisting them to proactively attract and support their workforce for the jobs of today and the future.
We ensure that careers information communicated through the Your Career website and other NCI careers services and information products is informed by evidence based industry insights and data. We engage proactively with a broad range of industry stakeholders to support coordinated efforts to meet industry needs for careers promotion and outreach.
Your views are welcome. If you would like to know more or discuss engagement opportunities, you can contact us at IndustryNCI@dewr.gov.au.
Research
The National Careers Institute (NCI) undertakes research to:
- contribute to our understanding of citizen preferences, attitudes and needs related to career information, advice and support,
- better understand how individuals in Australia are accessing and using career information, and
- gather career and industry related insights to support all Australians at various ages and stages of their career.
To explore our research, visit Your Career.