Outdoor Leaders and the Australia’s Core Skills Occupation List

Outdoors NSW & ACT
2 days ago
2 min read

The outdoor industry is at a crossroads. Across New South Wales, the ACT, and nationally, demand for outdoor leaders, guides, and trainers is soaring—but the workforce needed to deliver safe, high-quality experiences simply isn’t keeping pace.

According to the Outdoor Census (2024–2025), we face a shortage of nearly 12,000 qualified outdoor workers in NSW and the ACT alone—rising to over 14,000 when unmet demand is considered. Without urgent action, this shortfall threatens the delivery of school camps, adventure tourism, outdoor education, nature therapy programs, and vital community health and wellbeing initiatives.

Why the Core Skills Occupation List Matters

The Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) guides national workforce planning, training, and migration policy. It signals which occupations are critical to Australia’s future and need immediate support. By including Outdoor Leaders and Outdoor Guide Trainers, Jobs and Skills Australia can:

Open visa pathways to skilled international guides while we continue building local training capacity.
Address barriers that prevent organisations from sponsoring workers, such as high salary thresholds and costly processes that don’t reflect the reality of outdoor employment.
Ensure regional communities, where most guiding actually occurs, benefit from a strong and sustainable workforce.

Why Demand is Growing

The next five years will see unprecedented demand for outdoor skills, driven by:

Adventure tourism growth as Tourism Australia positions the nation as a global eco-tourism destination.
Mental health and wellbeing needs, with outdoor therapy now embedded in over one-third of organisations (up from just 4% in 2024).
Education priorities, as parents and schools recognise the value of time outdoors in building resilience, teamwork, and personal growth.

Our Call to Action

We have urged Jobs and Skills Australia to add Outdoor Leaders and Outdoor Guide Trainers to the CSOL and encourage industry to also provide their feedback through this process before the deadline of 26 September 2025.

Without our guides and trainers, Australia risks losing the ability to deliver the safe, sustainable, and transformative outdoor experiences our communities and visitors rely on.

The outdoor industry employs more than 45,000 people across NSW and the ACT. By strengthening this workforce, we not only protect jobs but also unlock opportunities in tourism, education, health, and regional development.

Now is the time for government to recognise outdoor guiding as an essential skill—because investing in the outdoors is investing in Australia’s future.

To download the ONSWACT submission click on the file below: