Skills Formation Strategies provide a means by which key industries and communities can analyse and address the causes of skills shortages and other skilling issues. They bring together employers, industry associations, unions, government agencies, contractors, training and education providers, businesses and communities to identify the real causes of skills shortages and barriers to workforce development, and to develop solutions.

Research suggests that skills shortages in many industries are not just the result of insufficient access to training or problems with the vocational training system. Skills shortages are also related to other factors such as a lack of knowledge of the industry, poor image of the industry, lack of career paths, the nature of jobs in the industry, employment conditions and wages, geographical remoteness, and work not being compatible with desired lifestyles. Skills Formation Strategies work on this broad range of issues to help ensure a viable workforce for the future.

Health and Community Services Workforce Council is currently funded by the Queensland Department of Education, Training and the Arts to manage five Skills Formation Strategies: Aged Care, Child Care, Northlakes Integrated Health Project, Health (Enrolled Nursing) and Child Protection