AHISA SUBMISSION

National Skills Commission

24 June 2021

Australian Skills Classification descriptors for the School Principal occupation 

In March 2021 the National Skills Commission launched a beta version of the Australian Skills Classification platform and invited public feedback.

Suggested uses for the Australian Skills Classification (ASC) system include skills development and the identification of new training options by employers and education and training providers. It is therefore important that skills identification and rating of the level of importance of those skills within an occupation are portrayed as accurately as possible.

AHISA’s submission makes a case for a review of the ‘School Principal’ occupation, noting the significant diversity in the role of School Principal in Australia – influenced by sector, level of provision, size and location of school, student community and form of governance. AHISA also questions School Principal descriptors based on evidence of how Principals apportion their time as reported for the OECD’s Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) and as gathered in a 2017 study undertaken for the NSW Government by Deloitte. AHISA further discusses the role of the autonomous school leader in Australia, which is akin to that of a Chief Executive, and points to the wide discrepancies in the descriptors used by the ASC for these roles.

Australian Skills Classification descriptors for the School Principal occupation — FULL SUBMISSION