The Indigenous Centre of Vocational Excellence (ICOVE)

Overview

The Australian Government is inviting organisations via a restricted process to apply to deliver services under the Indigenous Centre of Vocational Excellence (ICOVE) - Program 2.1: Building Skills and Capability from 2025 to 2028. The ICOVE is an initiative of the Commonwealth Government to develop a First Nations-led VET model that supports better skills, employment and economic outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as committed to under the National Skills Agreement and National Agreement on Closing the Gap. The ICOVE will be a national, evidence-informed best practice VET hub and will also function as an alternative to a First Nations skills peak. The ICOVE will be built on 4 pillars aligned with the 4 Closing the Gap Priority Reforms: innovation capacity building policy and advocacy research and data. The ICOVE will be led by an ACC or FNO RTO (or consortia) to foster a community governance model based on the principles of self-determination.