Partner to strengthen skills,
training, and workforce capability.

QCOSS provides resources and training to build a strong, agile and resilient community services sector that benefits every single Queenslander. Throughout 2024-25, we led a series of significant initiatives to build the sector’s capability.

Industry Skills and Jobs Advisor (ISJA) for Queensland’s community service sector

Our appointment as Industry Skills and Jobs Advisor (ISJA) for Queensland’s community service sector is part of the Queensland Government’s $17 million investment over three years to expand the Industry Skills and Jobs Advisor program and provide dedicated support across 14 key industry sectors through resources and tailored support.

As Industry Skills and Jobs Advisor, we provide evidence-based advice on workforce trends, skills gaps, and training needs, and ensure Queensland’s vocational education and training (VET) programs align with the real needs of the community services industry. In April 2025, we appointed two ISJA Project Managers who have undertaken the following initiatives from April to June 2025:

Established Industry Reference Group (IRG): Established Terms of Reference and convened the inaugural Community Services ISJA IRG in May 2025, bringing together community services sector stakeholders.

Consulted with the sector via QCOSS Town Hall: Engaged more than 250 representatives at 11 Town Halls across Queensland to gather industry feedback on Vocational Education and Training (VET) pathways.

Engaged with stakeholders and gathered intelligence: Over 40 consultation sessions with stakeholders including State Government departments and agencies, Jobs and Skills Australia, Jobs and Skills Council, businesses and employers, peak bodies, and training organisations.

Collaborated on National VET Reform and Jobs and Skills Council Projects: Contributed to Jobs and Skills Council (JSA) qualification review committees, facilitated industry feedback forums, and engaged with industry, unions, educators, peak organisations, and sector stakeholders to ensure skill needs of the sector are reflected in the VET qualifications being updated by the Jobs and Skills Council including Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs, Community Services, and Auslan Interpreting and Translating. Also participated in Industry Skills Solution (ISS) working groups focusing on Aged Care and Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC).

Promoted VET pathways, careers, and departmental initiatives: Delivered targeted social media campaigns and stakeholder events to highlight opportunities, success stories, and the value of vocational education and training.

Cairns Town Hall, 2025

Gladstone Town Hall, 2025

Townsville Town Hall, 2025

Community Services Sector Peak

As the funded peak for the community services sector, QCOSS delivered a workforce capability building program across the seven areas of excellence outlined in the Excellence Framework. These activities included convening several networks such as the Human Rights Network, Research and Evaluation Network, and the Quality Collaboration Network, as well as:

Delivered Human Services Quality Framework (HSQF) support: Provided bespoke organisational support to all organisations within the scope of the HSQF and the provision of HSQF policy templates and resources. QCOSS also participated in the HSQF Reform process, including the engagement of members in the review of the HSQF Scheme Rules.

Published newsletters: Shared resources to support organisational governance and human rights respecting practice

Facilitated the Social Isolation and Loneliness Community of Practice:
Met four times to explore strategies to alleviate social isolation and loneliness, such as social prescribing and volunteering.

QCOSS attended 20 interagency meetings across Queensland to build a deeper understanding of sector needs, and to respond to the needs of community organisations.

Supporting Diverse Workforces program

Supporting Diverse Workforces strengthens the sector by supporting community services organisations to build their human resources (HR) capability.

In 2024–25, QCOSS worked one-on-one with five community service organisations – Play Matters, Whitsunday Counselling & Support Inc., Shelter Housing Action Cairns (SHAC), Kambu Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Health, and Family and Children’s Emerging Support Services (FACESS) – to improve HR capability, workforce participation priorities, and implement strategies to attract, and retain a diverse workforce. Each organisation developed a project plan focusing on Employee Value Proposition, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Action Plan, and reviewing policies and procedures through a DEI lens. Insights from this work will inform new resources delivered throughout 2025-26.

Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative

In partnership with the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training, QCOSS delivers statewide workshops to help community-based organisations respond effectively to funding applications for the Skilling Queenslanders for Work (SQW) initiative.

In 2024–25, we delivered a total of 19 sessions across Queensland. SQW’s key focuses include tender writing skill support, project planning and funding applications. Additionally, QCOSS maintains a SQW webpage that contains useful information, resources and materials for community organisations that are considering applying for Skilling Queenslanders for Work (SQW) funding. During the 2024-25 financial year, the project hub online received 2,020 views from 1,341 active users.

In 2024–25, QCOSS also delivered seven Tender Writing workshops across the state to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations to support their applications for the Indigenous Workforce Skills Development Grant.

Growing Our Own project

In 2024–25, QCOSS secured funding from the Department of Trade, Employment and Training (DTET) through the Workforce Connect Fund to deliver the Growing Our Own Project, aimed at increasing the attraction, retention and participation of recent entrant workers (in their first five years) to the community services sector. The project established its foundations in 2024–25; in 2025–26 it will deliver training resources, networks and a Learning Management System (LMS) to provide the sector with accessible training resources.

Data tools and resources for the sector

Through our communication and feedback loops, QCOSS consistently hears how much the sector values the data resources and education we produce. These tools help organisations gain insights and inform their strategic direction.

During 2024-25 we:

Shared Community Data Profiles: We developed 15 community data profiles related to communities involved in our Town Hall events held across Queensland through April–June 2025. These resources have proven helpful for community services to better measure the level of demand for services across the sector and to use for service planning, research, and informing the evidence base for policy and grant writing applications. We delivered 11 community data presentations to communities involved in our Town Hall events.

Provided social housing dashboards: In December, we updated data visualisations of the Queensland Social Housing Register and released an associated Queensland Social Housing Register Evidence Brief.

Maintained our Data Point site: Launched in 2024, Data Point is an interactive tool on the QCOSS Data Hub website that provides a central location where our sector can access relevant and meaningful data. Datasets are categorised across QCOSS policy focus areas. Over 1,400 unique users accessed the platform, and with over 4,180 views recorded during the reporting period.

Actively responded to data requests: Supported community service organisations to use data effectively. The feedback received from this work has been positive, for example, “Thanks for all the work you lead in building local capabilities in data”.

Other useful resources we produced:

Maintained Community Door: Provided access to the latest resources and information, tailored exclusively to Queensland’s community services sector and their organisations.

Partner to strengthen skills, training, and workforce capability.