One of the main challenges facing UK skills policy is the need to shift the current focus of policy debate away from a narrow preoccupation with skills supply to one that simultaneously addresses issues of skill demand and utilisation. In recent years, Australian policy makers have experimented with a broader and more integrative approach to vocational education and training (VET) policy based upon the concept of ‘skill ecosystems’. This issues paper briefly examines the Australian example and asks whether it might offer some useful lessons for the UK.