Panel

Facilitated by Alex Haughton - Partnerships and Brand Manager for WorldSkills Australia. 

Panellists:

Carpenter Ryan Grieger has tasted international success with his trade, winning silver at the 44th WorldSkills Competition in Abu Dhabi in 2017.

Baker Chloe Dyker won a  Bronze medal at the National Championships in Sydney in 2018.

Expert Baker Ashley Schmidt mentored the Skills Squad in 2017 and has judged numerous National Championships.

Executive Director ANZ - Blackboard

Maria Langwell

Principal Consultant - Maria Langwell Consulting

Maria Langwell has worked within the vocational education and training (VET) sector for over 30 years, commencing within TAFE NSW. Within this organisation, Maria held several positions, from Head of the Labour Market Programs Unit at Blacktown Institute of TAFE, through to her final role as General Manager, Strategic Planning and Policy for Western Sydney Institute. On her relocation to Melbourne, Maria worked within the Victorian public service, as the Manager of several priority VET and employment services and programs, such as the Youth Employment Scheme (Victoria’s flagship youth traineeship program), Community Based Employment (CBE) Program, and the Victorian industry training advisory bodies (ITaBs). Her last appointment in the public service was as the Manager, Funded Programs, where Maria was responsible for funding the VET private RTO sector through its user choice and other VET programs. Maria moved into service delivery within Victoria, where she worked at AMES, prior to heading up Spectrum Education and Training (SET), a small community based RTO based in Broadmeadows, Melbourne. Within this period and in recognition of the leadership and vision for servicing the most disadvantaged community members within this region, SET was awarded the 2010 Small Training Provider of the Year. Maria moved to the Australian Council of Private Education and Training (ACPET), where she held the positions of VIC Executive Manager, as well as the General Manager, Business Development. In her time at ACPET, Maria supported compliance and quality across ACPET’s membership base of over 1,000 members as well as the wider VET community, through her initiation of ACPET’s professional development program and health check services. Both services were well received and utilised, with over 8,000 VET professionals attending the PD sessions in 2013-14 alone. Since early 2015, Maria joined the Vocation Group as the Head of Quality Assurance and Education and led 4 out of the RTOs to a fully compliant status. In 2015, Maria embarked on her boutique RTO consultancy service, where she supports RTOs nationally to interpret and apply the range of regulatory and funding requirements.

Maria holds an Executive Master in Public Administration and Management (University of Melbourne), a Master in Education (Administration and Management) (University of Sydney) and a Diploma in Teaching (Sydney Teachers College).

Pauline Duncan

Director - Knowledge Box

Pauline is an educator, management consultant, speaker and company director.

A primary trained teacher, Pauline became the Head of Junior School at Wesley College Melbourne, at the age of 25 making her the youngest primary Principal nationally at that time.

Pauline was Senior Manager at KPMG working in Government Advisory Services on social policy and education projects utilising her expertise in policy development, reform, stakeholder engagement, strategic communication and workshop facilitation.

Recently Pauline was the General Manger of Not for Profit organisation, YGAP, looking after risk, governance, and strategy for impact programs with social entrepreneurs and had responsibility for social enterprise restaurant, Feast of Merit.

Knowledge Box is Pauline’s own education advisory company – projects currently include Business Development for School RTOs with VETtrak; supporting innovation agenda in schools through the Plato Project; Fundraising and Philanthropic strategy development for leading NFPs; a variety of mentoring programs; strategic communications and marketing strategy for schools and she is a sought after public speaker.

Pauline is a Non-Executive Director in the education and not-for-profit sectors.

At the heart of all Pauline’s work is the simple, yet powerful driver to “Barrack for Young People”.

Kestrel Stone

Owner - Elemental Projects

Kestrel Stone is a highly qualified VET practitioner and project management expert with over 12 years’ experience spanning a wide range of project-based industries where she has designed and delivered dozens of training programs. Combining an undergraduate degree in psychology with a Masters in Project Management and Certificate IV in Training & Assessment, Kestrel brings balanced perspective to training and assessment that recognises the importance of ‘soft’ interpersonal skills as well as ‘hard’ technical project management skills.

 Kestrel is an adjunct university lecturer for ACU and Sydney University and a NSW Chapter Councillor for the Australian Institute of Project Management where she currently chairs the Professional Advancement portfolio for New South Wales. In 2012, Kestrel established Elemental Projects, a boutique project management training and consulting firm.

Tony Kirton

Principal Designer - DES Learning

Tony Kirton is a facilitator and instructional designer with more than a 15 years’ experience in organisational learning and development and VET education.

Known for his engaging and evidence-based approach to online and face to face learning, Tony delivers workshops, webinars and conference presentations with a wide range of public and private sector organisations.

As a facilitator, Tony primarily teaches educators and trainers how to design and deliver engaging and meaningful learning. In the past two years Tony has spent most of his facilitation time working with trainers, managers and senior leaders to improve their facilitation and presentation skills.

As an instructional designer, Tony has overseen and personally designed hundreds of training programs and more than one thousand assessment resources from more than 30 different vocational qualifications.

He holds a Master in Business and Commerce (spec. HR & IR) and two Diplomas in Vocational Training and Learning Design.

Continuing his passion for the education sector, Tony currently sits on the Board of Directors at a Rudolf Steiner School located in the Northeast of NSW.

Connect with Tony via:

Email: tony@engageld.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tkirton/

Web: https://engagelearninganddevelopment.com/

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ASQA Representatives

Australian Skills Quality Authority

David Garner

As General Manager Regulatory Operations in the Australian Skills Quality Authority, David has responsibility for implementing ASQA’s regulatory strategy nationally, including monitoring compliance of training providers and intending providers with the VET Quality Framework as well as the standards relating to delivery of training to overseas students, including intensive English courses. Prior to the referral of powers that brought Queensland providers under ASQA’s jurisdiction, David was Director, Training Quality, in the Queensland Department of Education and Training.

Prior to joining the Queensland department in 2005, David worked in and managed training providers for many years. David has been active in sports administration for over 30 years and sat for many years on the board of the Queensland Fitness, Sport and Recreation Skills Alliance.

Benn Gramola

Benn Gramola is the Manager Regulatory Operation for South Australia at the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). Benn as an extensive career in regulatory environments spanning over 15 years. Benn is a professional regulator and has a strong understanding of risk-based compliance and its application.

Benn has work for both State and Federal agencies, where he has been responsible for leading and managing teams involved in monitoring industries compliance with legislation. Benn has undertaken numerous investigations and enforcement activities across a variety of sectors including the VET sector. 

Cheryl Edwards

Cheryl Edwards is a Principal Regulatory Officer at the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) based in Adelaide. She has worked in a variety of roles within the vocational education and training (VET) sector over the last 18 years. Some of her past roles include, Project Officer at the Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology, State Manager of a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) and VET trainer/assessor.

Cheryl has been an auditor for nine years. Before transitioning to the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) in 2012, Cheryl worked as an auditor with the South Australian Regulator – the Quality and Tertiary Education Policy Directorate (QTEP).

As a Principal Regulatory Officer at ASQA, Cheryl leads complex and high-risk audits, and makes recommendations about VET providers’ compliance utilising:

• The VET Quality Framework, and
• The National Code for those providers registered on CRICOS.

Cheryl recently spent 18 months as the TAE Project Co-ordinator on the Training and Education (TAE) transition project, assessing applications from RTOs wanting to add the new TAE training products to scope of registration. 

Monica McFadyen

Monica McFadyen is a Principal Regulatory Officer at the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) based in Adelaide. Monica’s career in Vocational Education and Training (VET) commenced with TAFE SA and with the South Australian State Government. Monica is a Principal Regulatory Operations Officer and an Authorised Officer with the Australian Skills Quality Authority ASQA located in Adelaide.

Monica has 21 years’ experience working in the VET Sector and for the past 11 years in regulating registered training organisations operations all over Australia that provide services to domestic, international and ELICOS students. Monica has in-depth knowledge of VET sector, the international student sector and the National Skills Framework including the principles of competency-based training and assessment within a quality framework.

John Blake

Industry Trainer - Box Hill Institute

Having taught or presented in nearly 20 countries, John Blake is passionate about making in difference through education at all levels.

John has a background in hospitality and professional writing and in more recent years has taught in VET at TAFEs, Universities, conferences, schools, RTOs, prisons and in hotels.

Scott Huntley

Instruction Designer, Student Management Services Program Project - TAFE NSW

(Kenneth) Scott Huntley is an Instruction Designer for the Student Management Services Program Project at TAFE NSW. He has utilised Moodle in various projects over a number of years and Scott is interested in benefits of Open Source Hardware and Software can have for the educational community. He is passionate about finding imaginative and innovative ways to use technology in the classroom and benefits that they may have for students and teachers alike. 

 Scott has previously been an Invited Speaker to MoodleMoot Australia and MoodleMoot New Zealand and a Keynote Speaker for Mini iMoot 2016.

Maciek Fibrich

Director - RTO Consultancy

For almost 20 years, Maciek Fibrich has been challenging the status-quo in the VET sector, often pushing the limits to achieve unexpected outcomes for RTOs. Some will also argue that disruption is part of Maciek’s DNA, but the reality is, Maciek is truly passionate about ensuring quality within the VET sector and working out ways to use technology to push quality, yet ensuring it never impacts on the human nature of training and assessment. Maciek commenced his VET journey in 1999 when he started his first RTO with his mother, and since then, he has seen the industry morph many times. He has enjoyed the many challenges faced due to the never-ending changes, but has never lost sight of the industries main focus, educating our students.

Carol Hunter

Principal - RTO Services and Consulting

Carol Hunter has spent over twenty years working in both operational and strategic roles in VET.  She is the Principal of RTO Services and Consulting.  She has held positions as Director Training Quality and Regulation, Department of Education and Training ; Manager, Audit Services, Training Quality and Regulation, Department of Education and Training (Queensland); Manager, Training Secretariat to Training and Employment Recognition Council and Training Employment Board ; Faculty Director Logan TAFE  and various other VET positions in apprenticeships, curriculum, teaching etc.

Carol has used her experience in assisting a range of stakeholders develop contextually appropriate best practice applications and solutions in a variety of VET domains. She has also worked in operational roles in both public and private RTOs, in policy and curriculum development; and as a secondary school teacher.

William Stubley

Co-Founder - Year 13 Pty Ltd

CEO & Co-Founder of Year13, Australia's largest digital platform for high school leavers, Will Stubley is passionate about industry's role in the transition period from high-school. Utilising his engineering background, Will is responsible for digital product development, research and strategy.

Angela McGregor

Owner and Principal Consultant - RTO Consulting

Angela McGregor is the owner and principal consultant of RTO Consulting who has been offering consulting services throughout Australia, providing guidance, coaching and assistance to businesses wanting to become a RTO, existing RTOs and businesses wanting to develop nationally accredited courses and those looking to establish systems and processes to ensure compliance. 

As a practitioner dedicated to sharing knowledge, Angela has consulted through many forums pertaining to compliance issues and improvement strategies for training and assessment services. Angela is known for her current industry, knowledge and success in developing accredited courses and track record in setting up RTOs and assisting RTOs with compliance against the VET Quality Framework.

Isabel Osuna-Gatty

Australian Training Awards Winner

Isabel Osuna-Gatty is the recipient of the Excellence in Language, Literacy and Numeracy Practice Australian Training Award. Her wide-ranging career began in South America managing the English language department of a private high school, training teaching staff and lecturing at the Central University of Venezuela.

Isabel continued her career in Australia as an adult Language Literacy Numeracy/ ESL teacher at various community colleges before moving into educational management.  She developed and implemented several local, state and commonwealth funded projects across Australia. She was the National Career Industry Specialist and the Workplace English Language and Literacy broker for the Community Services and Health industries.

Isabel is currently finishing a master degree in teaching English as a Second Language and a master degree in Social Work.  Her interests are transformational education, neuropsychology and helping people achieve their personal and professional goals.

 Isabel has presented as a keynote speaker at several national and international conferences.

Cheryl Edwards

Principal Regulatory Officer - Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA)

Cheryl Edwards is a Principal Regulatory Officer at the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) based in Adelaide. She has worked in a variety of roles within the vocational education and training (VET) sector over the last 18 years. Some of her past roles include, Project Officer at the Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology, State Manager of a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) and VET trainer/assessor.

Cheryl has been an auditor for nine years. Before transitioning to the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) in 2012, Cheryl worked as an auditor with the South Australian Regulator – the Quality and Tertiary Education Policy Directorate (QTEP).

As a Principal Regulatory Officer at ASQA, Cheryl leads complex and high-risk audits, and makes recommendations about VET providers’ compliance utilising:

• The VET Quality Framework, and
• The National Code for those providers registered on CRICOS.

 Cheryl recently spent 18 months as the TAE Project Co-ordinator on the Training and Education (TAE) transition project, assessing applications from RTOs wanting to add the new TAE training products to scope of registration.

Internal Auditor - Holmesglen Institute

Maggie Burke and Fay Dart

Maggie Burke
Originally trained as a teacher, Maggie’s roles have been in business and commercial advisory with 12 years at Ernst & Young. Maggie then moving into private consulting to provide specialist advice to the building and construction industry for the last 15 years. One of her roles included setting up and managing a private RTO, Exner Education, that delivers innovative and immersive education tools to the construction, rail and transport industry.  Exner Education offers services in Australia, UAE, with plans to expand to Europe within the next 12 months.

Fay Dart
With a career beginning in South Africa, Fay has over 15 years’ experience in the civil construction industry. Her career in South Africa included Site Management and then Project Engineer roles before her move to Australia. Prior to joining Real Serious Games in 2014, Fay was with Thiess / John Holland for five years attaining the position of Civil Senior Project Engineer on the Airport Link Project.  At Real Serious Games she performs the role of Associate Engineer, assisting in Commercial aspects of projects, Business Development and Engineering support for the delivery of projects.

Miranda Hamilton (Do not email)

Director - Learning Partnerships

Miranda is an experienced and passionate leader and consultant, specialising in providing business advisory assessment and training services to individuals, businesses and government for transformation, and growth.

As Director of Learning Partnerships, Miranda is passionate about developing people, teams and organisations to thrive and be the best that they can be.

Miranda previously co-founded Securus Global, one of Australia’s most highly regarded Information Security and technical research companies and has a background in Business Analysis, Project Management and IT Security and Governance.

Alison Anlezark & Toni Cavallaro

Alison Anlezark is the National Standards Manager, at the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).  In this role, she is responsible for ensuring NCVER’s products and services keep pace with the changing needs of the VET sector, having oversight of the statistical standards, NCVER’s data quality program and NCVER’s client support team.

Toni Cavallaro is the National Collections Manager, at the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). She has extensive experience in the collection and analysis of VET data. Toni is responsible for overseeing NCVER’s major administrative data collections including the apprentice and trainee, students and courses, and finance/funding collections on behalf of the national VET system.

Chris Green

Founder and CEO, c2cglobal Pty Ltd

Chris Green is the Founder and CEO of c2cglobal Pty Ltd, which he started 20 years ago. In that time c2cglobal has moved from a general commercial fit out company to a highly specialist consulting firm delivering 9b and building compliance specifically to the Education Sector.

After focusing on providing fit outs to the education sector, it soon became clear that the education sector is unique in its building compliance requirements. It also became clear that unless you have an in-depth understanding of all the restrictions and timing issues imposed by the Building Code of Australia (BCA) and other education regulators (ASQA, TEQSA), it is almost impossible to effectively deliver solutions to the problems facing education providers.

So c2cglobal’s philosophy was to move from a “generalist” fit out company to a “specialist” consulting firm with the ability to identify key problems for one specific industry, Education, and provide very real solutions to very real problems that add massive value to clients.

Guru Panel Session

Joe Newbery served in the Australian Army for over 20 years. His time in Defence was influenced by his appointment in training roles including recruit training, trade training and finally in training design and compliance. Joe departed Defence and established Newbery Consulting in 2005. He has extensive experience and is recognised for his work in course design, job analysis and VET quality auditing. Over the period 2007 – 2014, Joe provided Lead Auditor services on behalf of the VET regulators including the National Audit and Registration Agency (NARA), the Vocational Education and Training Accreditation Board (VETAB) and the Australian Skills Quality Authority. Today Joe leads a small team at Newbery Consulting to support his clients throughout Australia with a broad offering of VET products and services.

John Dwyer is a trainer and consultant with experience in education spanning more than 60 years. He brings extensive Registered Training Organisation (RTO) experience to Velg Training, having a comprehensive history in developing and delivering a range of workshops on assessment, compliance, Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), moderation and validation processes relating to AQTF/VQF compliance. 

John Price has been an educator and trainer for over 40 years and in that time has worked as a Head of Department at TAFE, mentor, facilitator of national workshops covering delivery and assessment, risk management, auditing, leadership and interpersonal skill development. John has been a keynote speaker at conventions and conferences, and maintained a grass roots level approach to dealing with people at all levels of the organisation.
He has also assisted over 300 organisations in Australia to achieve quality certification to the range of National Training Standards including: Standards for NVR Registered Training Organisations (versions 2012 and 2015); Australian Quality Training Framework standards (AQTF from 2001 – 2010) Australian and International ISO9001 standards (AS/NZS and ISO from 1987 – 2008) and worked with these organisations in establishing continuous improvement systems and strategies.

Kerri Buttery has worked in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector for almost two decades as a Trainer/Assessor, RTO Manager and also as a Senior Lead Auditor. Kerri has worked as a consultant for a range of organisations in the areas of establishing Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), conducting internal audits, consulting on VQF compliance, developing a number of accredited courses, convening state and national conferences, developing training and assessment materials, conducting professional development workshops and delivering Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. She has authored several textbooks and has experience lecturing and tutoring at university. Kerri is currently employed by Velg Training as the Director of VET Content Development.

Carol Hunter is the Principal of RTO Services and Consulting. Her experience in management in the VET sector in Queensland includes Director, Training Quality and Regulation; Manager, Audit Services; and Manager, Training Secretariat to Training and Employment Recognition Council and Training Employment Board (Queensland) within the Department of Education and Training.
Carol has also worked in operational roles in both public and private RTOs, in policy and curriculum development; and as a secondary school teacher.

Ed Spink has worked in the VET sector since 1982 in a variety of roles including, training and assessing in the automotive trades and the development, implementation and ongoing maintenance of quality management systems within both public and private training providers. The quality management systems he has worked with consist of ISO, ARF, QETO, AQTF, and VQF. Ed worked for a number of years with DET as a lead auditor. Ed currently operates his own consultancy business, BES Business Services Pty Ltd assisting RTOs with the development and ongoing maintenance of their RTO management, quality, and compliance systems and with the development and validation of assessments.

Jane Goodfellow

Principal Lecturer - North Metropolitan TAFE

Jane Goodfellow is the 2017 Australian VET Teacher/Trainer winner and holds a keen interest in alternative and innovative training methods. Jane has worked as a TAFE trainer for over 20 years and also works in a school as a special needs teacher. After completing a Master in Education in inclusion Jane's focus turned to increasing the participation of tertiary aged students with disability and diverse needs in VET courses.

Monica McFadyen

Principal Regulatory Officer - Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA)

Monica McFadyen is a Principal Regulatory Officer at the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) based in Adelaide. Monica’s career in Vocational Education and Training (VET) commenced with TAFE SA and with the South Australian State Government. Monica is a Principal Regulatory Operations Officer and an Authorised Officer with the Australian Skills Quality Authority ASQA located in Adelaide.

Monica has 21 years’ experience working in the VET Sector and for the past 11 years in regulating registered training organisations operations all over Australia that provide services to domestic, international and ELICOS students. Monica has in-depth knowledge of VET sector, the international student sector and the National Skills Framework including the principles of competency-based training and assessment within a quality framework.

Rachel Leigh Taylor

RTO Manager - MacKillop Catholic College

Rachel Leigh Taylor has more than 20 years’ experience teaching, designing, managing and quality auditing in the VET sector in Australia and abroad.

Rachel has a passion for using student data to inform educational reform, and assess the quality of VET service provision.  With a background in second language education, Rachel has a strong focus on supporting Language, Literacy and Numeracy skills development and promoting professional development for trainers in how to adapt their practises to enhance teaching and learning outcomes.  

As an avid VET practitioner who regularly provides professional development webinars and training workshops across state/territory and national platforms, she brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the table in discussing VET issues and directions for the professionalisation and promotion of VET as the underpinning educational sector for career and vocational outcomes both nationally and internationally.

Kathryn McGilvray, Sarah Philips & Natalie Jegorow

Kathryn McGilvray and her company develop customised eLearning and Educational Videos for the VET sector. (eles.com.au). You will often find her as a presenter at Industry conferences and she is passionate about Vocational Training. As a Google Apps for Education Certified Trainer, she delivers Google Training and short courses on all things related to education technology. Her courses explore trends, insights and practical solutions for integrating emerging technology into training. Having worked in schools, TAFE and with Private RTOs she brings her strong educational experience and enthusiasm for learning into every conversation.

She loves working with trainers and educators to develop learning that is engaging for students yet still meets the needs of industry for audit and training. If you are not afraid to think outside the box or are somewhat curious about emerging technologies then come and have a chat with her to explore the possibilities.

Find her on LinkedIn or Twitter: @kathmcg1 Her favourite twitter chats are; #edchat, #edtech #aussieED. Founder #ChippychatED

Sarah Phillips is the Director of Learning and Development at Pop Education. She also works as the Professional Development Coordinator at Swinburne University of Technology PAVE.

Sarah has had 12 years of experience in the VET sector with 11 of those years in Technology Education. In this time, Sarah has held positions in a range of settings across private, Learn Local and TAFE in the fields of eLearning and VET Assessment, including 3 years working as the Victorian eLearning Coordinator and Content Services Advisor for the National VET E-learning Strategy.

Sarah has worked with dozens of industry clients, and mentored several training organisations in her role as an ACFE eMentor. Sarah has also played a key internal role in 3 startup departments for online learning and specialises in the areas of assessment compliance, blended learning strategies, content development and pedagogical design.

Marc Ratcliffe

CEO and Founder - MRWED Training and Assessment

Marc Ratcliffe is a multi-award-winning trainer, author and education entrepreneur. He is the CEO and founder of MRWED Training and Assessment, a private RTO that specialises in Trainer Training. He is a strong advocate for "edu-tainment" and believes that learner involvement and fun are integral to student success.  He has delivered over 300 training and assessment courses since 2000 and continues to be an in-demand conference speaker and workshop facilitator, having presented at more than 50 conferences in a dozen countries in the past decade and was recently named as the winner of the “Best Training and Development Leadership” Award for 2017 at the World Training and Development Congress in Mumbai.

Nick McEwan-Hall

Owner - Latitude Coaching

Nick has been a longstanding and robust contributor to the Australian Vocational Education & Training (VET) sector for over 17 years. A qualified VET practitioner, DISC facilitator, trainer, workplace and business coach, his knowledge of the training and education system is highly acclaimed Australia wide.

Starting his career in Secondary Schools and transitioning to VET, his breadth of experience spans training & assessment, operations, strategic management, client relationship management, quality, data management and instructional design. He has a comprehensive knowledge of the Victorian Training Guarantee and has led small to multi-national RTOs and NPOs through external audits.

Nick has a unique ability to break down the ever changing complexities within the VET sector in a practical way which enables organisations to ‘simply get on with their core activities’ with confidence and efficiency.

A committed advocate for equality and vocational opportunities, Nick has worked with many RTOs in the Non For Profit sector including the Brotherhood of St Laurence. His focus and determination for helping others achieve and flourish has resulted in many NFPs not only remaining operable, but commercially sustainable in their provision of training for the unemployed and marginalised.

Volunteering for many years on the Board of Governance at the Fitzroy Learning Network, Nick was a key driver of new program initiatives and fundraising activities to alleviate major learning gaps and lack of opportunities to disadvantaged residents.

In 2012 Nick was a recipient of the ‘Whitelion Chairperson's Award for Employment’. He led his team across a joint partnership with Telstra to deliver programs to unemployed youth which resulted in an unprecedented number of permanent job offers within Telstra call centres.

Nick currently manages an independent RTO, ‘The Open Door Coaching Group’, along with steering his own consulting and coaching practices, ‘Latitude Coaching’ and ‘AVETMESS’. An active presenter at conferences around Australia, he runs training workshops & coaching sessions to a broad range of education and business groups. He speaks on a variety of subjects including change management, workplace values, team building and a wide scope of VET related topics.

When not working, you will find Nick indulging his fascination with Asian art and artefacts, exploring art exhibitions, enjoying an espresso coffee with friends over a joke or two and getting out of the city to wind down and relax.

A fun and straightforward presenter Nick has a knack for striking the elusive balance between theory, practicality, humour and meaningful activity. Participants of Nick’s sessions will leave feeling relaxed and empowered to make a real difference.

Laurie Kelly

Director - Mindworks

Mindworks director, Laurie Kelly, speaks both nationally and internationally on current knowledge of how the mind works to maximize the Impact of Training, and to create an Openness Factor in our approach to Change and new Learning.

Laurie has been opening up the mysteries of the mind to audiences from all walks of life for over 30 years. He has a reputation for having an uncanny ability to communicate on a level that everyone can appreciate and is passionate about the importance of the information he shares.

Laurie Kelly’s experience also includes conference keynote & workshop sessions and public and in-house training programs, delivered in Australia and overseas. He has worked extensively within both the corporate sector in many organisations covering a wide scope of industries, and with many departments of the government sector, and within the areas of education, health, resources, council and corporate organizations. Laurie is one of the most sought-after presenters in his field.

John Dwyer

Senior Consultant - Velg Training Pty Ltd

John Dwyer is a national VQF/AQTF trainer/assessor and consultant with experience in education and training spanning more than 60 years. He brings extensive Registered Training Organisation (RTO) experience and has a comprehensive history in developing and delivering a range of workshops and webinars on assessment, compliance, Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), moderation and validation processes relating to VQF/AQTF compliance.

Merinda Smith

Director - RTO Mentor

Merinda Smith commenced training early in her career, moving into RTO management and business development in her corporate life. Since founding her consultancy business, RTO Mentor in 2009, Merinda has applied her valuable experience to RTOs. Initially F4 Solutions, and now RTO Mentor, the business has grown substantially since its inception. Merinda’s passion is still in training and she compliments her business with coaching clients and facilitating workshops. Merinda’s reputation has taken her from strength to strength, and is now sort after by RTOs around Australia and as a speaker, coach and mentor. Merinda is passionate about personal improvement and finding ways to empower others.

David Garner and Benn Gramola

Australian Skills Quality Authority

David Garner

As General Manager Regulatory Operations in the Australian Skills Quality Authority, David has responsibility for implementing ASQA’s regulatory strategy nationally, including monitoring compliance of training providers and intending providers with the VET Quality Framework as well as the standards relating to delivery of training to overseas students, including intensive English courses. Prior to the referral of powers that brought Queensland providers under ASQA’s jurisdiction, David was Director, Training Quality, in the Queensland Department of Education and Training.

Prior to joining the Queensland department in 2005, David worked in and managed training providers for many years. David has been active in sports administration for over 30 years and sat for many years on the board of the Queensland Fitness, Sport and Recreation Skills Alliance.

Benn Gramola

Benn Gramola is the Manager Regulatory Operation for South Australia at the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). Benn as an extensive career in regulatory environments spanning over 15 years. Benn is a professional regulator and has a strong understanding of risk-based compliance and its application.

Benn has work for both State and Federal agencies, where he has been responsible for leading and managing teams involved in monitoring industries compliance with legislation. Benn has undertaken numerous investigations and enforcement activities across a variety of sectors including the VET sector. 

Panel Session

Ann Leske is a VET foundation skills trainer and consultant. Ann shares tips and strategies through presentations and consultations to workplaces, RTOs, and trainers. At the core of Ann’s 20-year VET experience is her passion to enable learners to successfully develop the foundation skills to complete training. Ann, with Chemène Sinson, initiated a specialised website to support LLN and VET trainers to embrace foundation skills development within vocational training called LLN and VET Meeting Place.

Chemene Sinson is a learning and development consultant who specialises in TAE qualifications and other non-accredited programs.  She has extensive experience designing, delivering and assessing TAE Certificate IV and Diploma programs for private, community, government and industry-based RTOs.  She has written a suite of learning and assessment materials for the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment purchased by more than 100 RTOs to date.  In recent years she has focused her own professional development on language, literacy and numeracy development through VET and has teamed up with Ann Leske to form a joint LLN and VET development initiative.

Dave Tout is widely recognised as one of Australia's leading adult numeracy personnel, and has worked in schools, TAFEs, ACE, university and AMES workplaces, with over 30 years’ experience in the VET sector. He has wide experience in training, and in state, national and international research, curriculum, assessment and materials development. Dave had major responsibility for the numeracy domain of the ACSF. He was a member of the Numeracy Expert Group (NEG) responsible for the numeracy component of the international ALLS survey and for PIAAC. David  is currently the Senior Research Fellow, Numeracy and Mathematics at ACER .

Ruth Walker has worked in VET for over 20 years as a trainer, compliance manager, consultant, researcher and auditor across a range of institutions including TAFE, Community Colleges, VET in Schools, NSW DEC, Swinburne University of Technology and ASQA. Her passion and focus is on improving the quality and reputation of VET.

Scott Huntley

Instruction Designer, Student Management Services Program Project - TAFE NSW

(Kenneth) Scott Huntley is an Instruction Designer for the Student Management Services Program Project at TAFE NSW. He has utilised Moodle in various projects over a number of years and Scott is interested in benefits of Open Source Hardware and Software can have for the educational community. He is passionate about finding imaginative and innovative ways to use technology in the classroom and benefits that they may have for students and teachers alike. 

 Scott has previously been an Invited Speaker to MoodleMoot Australia and MoodleMoot New Zealand and a Keynote Speaker for Mini iMoot 2016.

Michael McQueen

Multi-award winner, trend forecaster and six-time bestselling author

Michael McQueen is a multi-award winning speaker, trend forecaster and six-time bestselling author . With clients including KPMG, Pepsi and Cisco, he has helped some of the world’s most successful brands navigate disruption and maintain momentum. In addition to featuring regularly as a commentator on TV and radio, Michael is a familiar face on the international conference circuit having shared the stage with the likes of Bill Gates, Dr. John Maxwell and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.

Michael has spoken to over 300,000 people across 5 continents since 2004, and is known for his engaging, entertaining and practical conference presentations. Having been recently named Australia’s Keynote Speaker of the Year, Michael was inducted into the Professional Speakers Halls of Fame.

Coming from a background in marketing and research, in 2004 Michael founded a consultancy specializing in demographic shifts and social trends called The Nexgen Group.

Michael’s first book The ‘New’ Rules of Engagement was the culmination of a 3-year study of the key drivers of youth culture around the world. With an emphasis on the values and attitudes of Millennials, this 2007 release focussed on helping business leaders, educators and parents better engage a younger generation.

In 2009 and 2010, Michael went on to release a range of gift books called Memento and Wisdom which were designed to bridge the generation gap in families by helping parents pass on their stories and life lessons to the next generation. Building on the international success of this gift book range, Michael created an online memoir-writing app for parents called Histography.com.

Michael’s third bestselling book Winning the Battle for Relevance was a landmark title that explored why even the greatest businesses and institutions become obsolete and how others could avoid their fate. Drawing on research tracking 500 of the world’s most iconic brands over 5 years, Michael outlined a range of strategies for organizations and businesses who are committed to staying ahead of the curve by re-inventing themselves before they are forced to do so.

In 2016 Michael's research emphasis shifted to focus on the key habits and mindsets that enable organizations and individuals to stay at the cutting edge over time. He released his fourth bestseller Momentum: How to Build it, Keep it, or Get it Back in October that year. Receiving wide acclaim worldwide, Momentum outlined a simple but powerful formula for staying on a growth trajectory and ensuring that a success groove doesn't become a rut.

Michael's newest book How to Prepare Now for What's Next is a revealing glimpse at the key trends that will shape the coming years including Artificial Intelligence, robotics and nanotechnology. Michael's explores the technological shifts and social changes that no organization or individual can afford to ignore and offers a practical game plan for thriving in an age of disruption.

Kerri Buttery

Consultant VET Nexus

Kerri Buttery has worked in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector for two decades as a Trainer/Assessor, RTO Manager and also as a Senior Lead Auditor. 

Kerri has worked as a consultant for a range of organisations in the areas of establishing Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), conducting internal audits, consulting on VQF compliance, developing accredited courses, convening conferences and events, developing training and assessment materials, conducting professional development workshops and delivering Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. 

She also specialises in eLearning consulting, with a particular focus on the Canvas LMS by Instructure.

Anne Flynn

Branch Manager of the VET Student Loans Branch, Australian Government Department of Education and Training

Anne is the Branch Manager of the VET Student Loans Branch at the Australian Government Department of Education and Training.  Anne has held various positions within the department including roles in in Schools, Higher Education and Skills. 

Mark Hodgson

Speaker, Mentor & Author

Mark Hodgson comes from a successful corporate background and has held senior leadership roles in Australasia, UK, Central Europe and Russia. Mark draws on a powerful track record backed by a depth of learning across multiple disciplines. He has inspired large teams across a range of commercial and not-for-profit businesses. He is a leader of the About My Brain Institute, which puts neuroscience at the heart of effective personal leadership development. Mark is also a faculty member for the Thought Leaders Business School, helping experts positioning themselves as leading influencers. He is an expert in leading change and holds an MBA level qualification from the AGSM. Mark is the creator of the Blog or Die! Content creation program and authors the acclaimed business blog, Pinch of Thought. His book, ‘Time to Shine: Adapting who you are and what you know to succeed in the ideas economy’ expands on this thinking.

Sharon Ferrier

Director - Persuasive Presentations

Sharon has a knack for making the complex simple. She believes that ‘passionate people persuade’ and that to make your message stick, you need to balance information with delivery style.

Sharon’s background is in sales and marketing and along the way has studied business administration, marketing, management, journalism as well as more eclectic skills including comedy, improvisation and the art of persuasion.

 As an award winning speaker and salesperson Sharon uses her skills to help people become persuasive and influential speakers. She works with individuals and organisations from a diverse range of industries across Australia and overseas.

Geoff Oliver

Owner - Compass Support

Geoff has over 40 years’ experience in the Film & TV Industry and over 16 years in training and the VET sector.

Since 1987 Geoff has operated his own production companies both in Australia and in Singapore, filming throughout Australia, Southeast Asia and other parts of the globe. This experience brings a fresh approach to training, assessing and compliance.

Geoff is also currently a member of the board for Montessori World Educational Institute (Australia), an independent higher education provider, training Montessori Teachers.

Geoff was instrumental in the development of the Certificate III through to Advanced Diploma course in Film and Television in Perth and has assisted in the development of other accredited courses. Geoff is a qualified lead auditor and provides audit and consultancy services to RTOs. Geoff combines his experience in film and TV with his auditing skills to provide a practical approach to all facets of RTO operations.

Joe Newbery

CEO/RTO Owner Newbery Consulting

Joe Newbery served in the Australian Army for over 20 years. His time in Defence was influenced by his appointment in training roles including recruit training, trade training and finally in training design and compliance. Joe departed Defence and established Newbery Consulting in 2005. He has extensive experience and is recognised for his work in course design, job analysis and VET quality auditing. Over the period 2007 – 2014, Joe provided Lead Auditor services on behalf of the VET regulators including the National Audit and Registration Agency (NARA), the Vocational Education and Training Accreditation Board (VETAB) and the Australian Skills Quality Authority. Today Joe leads a small team at Newbery Consulting to support his clients throughout Australia with a broad offering of VET products and services.

Gary Workman

Executive Director - Apprenticeship Employment Network

Gary Workman is the Executive Director of the Apprenticeship Employment Network, which represents not for profit group training organisations. Within Victoria group training organisations employ over 7500 apprentices and trainees across all sectors of industry through a large network of host employers.

Within Australia, Group Training Organisations employ over 24,000 apprentices, and are a large employer in regional towns which support small employers, skill shortage trades and indigenous participation.

Gary commenced the role in December 2009 and leads the association and its members on public policy and research activities, including overseeing relationships with a wide range of industry and government stakeholders.

In May 2017, Gary was appointed to the Victorian Governments Apprenticeship Taskforce.

 He has over 20 years’ experience in the Vocational Education and Training sector, and has worked on numerous government and industry projects and committees including the areas of workforce development, OH&S and the environment. Gary is also an ambassador for the Bullyzero foundation since 2013 which supports the awareness of workplace bullying and mental health issues.

Debbie Phipps

CRICOS & ELICOS Consultancy Specialist, Director - Rainbow Connextions

Debbie Phipps is a highly experienced CRICOS specialist consultant, who has been operating a successful consultancy business since 2011.

Debbie's experience includes working for private and government RTOs and schools as well as 9 years’ experience as auditor and Manager of the Queensland Regulator specialising in CRICOS across all sectors including: Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) providers, Schools, Higher Education Providers and Universities.

Debbie knows from her extensive and ongoing experience participating in audits the latest risk areas, common compliance issues and imminent changes that are likely.

Debbie is respected by the Regulators which can make your audit experience a lot less stressful.

Debbie's work as a 'CRICOS Specialist consultant' enables her to remain constantly up to date with Regulator requirements across the various sectors Australia wide.

Kerri Buttery

Director Content & Strategy - Velg Training

Kerri Buttery has worked in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector for two decades as a Trainer/Assessor, RTO Manager and also as a Senior Lead Auditor. 

Kerri has worked as a consultant for a range of organisations in the areas of establishing Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), conducting internal audits, consulting on VQF compliance, developing accredited courses, convening conferences and events, developing training and assessment materials, conducting professional development workshops and delivering Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. 

She also specialises in eLearning consulting, with a particular focus on the Canvas LMS by Instructure.

Jason Coutts & Karin Van Eed

Mr Jason Coutts, Student Identifiers Registrar, USI Office

Jason Coutts is the Student Identifiers Registrar and has overseen the passage of the Student Identifiers Act 2014, the development and deployment of the USI Registry System, and establishment of the USI Office.

 He has extensive experience developing, delivering and managing programmes and projects in the public sector context and more particularly, in relation to the education sector. He has held senior executive positions in VET, International Education and Higher Education at the Department of Education and Training and describes himself as an education policy tragic.

Ms Karin Van Eed, Adviser, Regulation and Strategy Branch, Office of the Australian Information Commissioner

In her role as an adviser in the Regulation and Strategy Branch at the OAIC, Karin Van Eeden conducts proactive privacy assessments that are designed to identify risks to the handling of individuals’ personal information, and recommend ways that those risks can be mitigated. Karin has conducted privacy assessments with entities across government and the private sector in the areas of international border clearance, telecommunications, identity management and digital health. Karin also conducts policy research and analysis on the privacy implications of biometric technology.

Karin holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Australia, and Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice from the Australian National University.

Alex Schroder

VET Forensic Compliance Auditor & Founder and CEO of VetPrep Australia

Alex Schroder is a VET Forensic Compliance Auditor, founder and CEO of VetPrep Australia and the architect of the Certificate IV of RTO Compliance and the Diploma of RTO Compliance Management.

Alex has worked in Learning and Development, Quality Assurance, Compliance and Auditing since the early 2000's and has focused solely on VET Compliance since the late 2000's. She leads the team of Compliance Rectification Specialists at VetPrep, is recognised as a Subject Matter Expert by the AAT and holds qualifications in Law, Commerce, International Economics, Quality Management, Organisational and Leadership Change and Development, and Business.

John Price

Director, John Price & Associates Pty Ltd

John Price has been an educator and trainer for over 40 years and in that time has worked as a Head of Department at TAFE, mentor, facilitator of national workshops covering delivery and assessment, risk management, auditing, leadership and interpersonal skill development.

John has been a keynote speaker at conventions and conferences, and maintained a grass roots level approach to dealing with people at all levels of the organisation.

He has also assisted over 300 organisations in Australia to achieve quality certification to the range of National Training Standards including: Standards for NVR Registered Training Organisations (versions 2012 and 2015); Australian Quality Training Framework standards (AQTF from 2001 – 2010) Australian and International ISO9001 standards (AS/NZS and ISO from 1987 – 2008) and worked with these organisations in establishing continuous improvement systems and strategies.

Mitch Cleary

Director - Precision Consultancy

Mitch Cleary is a director of Precision Consultancy, and she and the company have been involved in training package development for over 20 years. Mitch has been involved in consulting with industry and technical expert groups in relation to a wide range of training packages including Health and Community Services recently as well as working on development of the latest TAE Training Package.  Mitch has an extensive knowledge of the national VET industry, the policy context and the history of TAE.  Additionally, she has worked on a number of research and policy projects including Skill Sets, and an investigation on industry views on assessment. Mitch is a highly experienced presenter and has delivered many professional development workshops on the TAE package, the Standards for Training Packages and on RTO industry partnerships.

Jason Ash

Chief Innovation Officer - MRWED Training and Assessment

Jason has more than 15 years of training and assessment experience, gained predominantly in corporate environments. He has specialised in delivering training in sales, coaching, business communication and management and has received international acclaim for his work in Learning and Development. Jason was the winner of the Platinum Award for “Best Young Learning Leader” at the 2011 LearnX Asia-Pacific Awards and was named a young trainer to watch by US Training Magazine in 2012.

Jason is a two-time MRWED Trainer of the year and is one of only three trainers in Australia certified to deliver Bob Pike’s Train-the-Trainer Boot Camp, the world’s most well-respected trainer training program. A strong advocate for the participant-centred approach to training, Jason has spoken on the topic of Creative Training Techniques at conferences all over Australia and at multiple events in the United States.

Megan Lilly

Head of Workforce Development for Ai Group, Director of the AiGTS and the AiGroup Graduate Employment Services

Megan Lilly is the Head of Workforce Development for The Australian Industry Group (Ai Group), Director of the Australian Industry Group Training Services (AiGTS) and the AiGroup Graduate Employment Services. In this role Megan is responsible for the development of all education and training policy as well as member service delivery across the breadth of workforce development. Prior to this she was the Chief Executive Officer of Business Services Training Australia, the national industry advisory board for the business services and related industry sectors. Before joining the national board, she held several senior management positions in various Victorian TAFE institutes.

Ms Lilly is a member of the Australian Industry Skills Committee (alternating Director), Chair of Manufacturing Skills Australia, a member of the Australia India Education Council as well as Co-Chair Skills Working Group, WorldSkills Australia, and the Australian College of Educators.   She has been a member of the Australian Qualifications Framework Council, and Queensland Ministerial Commission, Victorian Skills Commission and Australia Pacific Technical College.  Previously Megan was a member of the National Skills Standards Council, and the National Quality Council.  Megan also chaired the Joint COAG-NQC Working Group – VET Products for the 21 Century and has presented at international conferences. She has a Masters in Educational Policy and Administration.

Bryan West

Managing Director - Fortress Learning

Bryan West is the managing director of Fortress Learning. Fortress Learning was launched in 2009 as a quality, flexible and accessible online learning environment. We support about 1500 Certificate or Diploma students every year, with the number carefully controlled to ensure each enrolling student gets our full attention. Fortress Learning’s success lies in our unwavering commitment to quality, honesty and fair play. It is summarised in our 4 pillars: Confidence. Credibility. Conviction. Courtesy. We specialise in creating training professionals. Bryan uses more than 25 years’ teaching experience to help untangle the ever-changing regulatory framework.

Allison Miller

Director and Principal Consultant - Vanguard Visions

Allison Miller is a professional learning and business development leader of 25 years. She is the Director and Lead Consultant of Digital Capability, an organisation which specialises in cutting edge online learning and online business solutions. Allison also helps educational organisations ensure that their training and assessment is effective and compliant, especially online. Allison has a Master of Learning and Development (Organisational Development), Graduate Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Bachelor of Education (Secondary Business), Diploma of VET, and Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, Diploma of Business. She also leads the ePortfolios Australia professional network and the annual Australian Eportfolio Forum.

Representatives from the Department of Education & Training and Career Industry Council of Australia

This session, will be presented by Wendy Walker, Anna Hemmings, David Brown and Teresa Costanzo (Department of Education and Training) and David Carney (Career Industry Council of Australia) and will feature Australian VET Alumni: Angela Coker, Heather Bitter, Rachelle Boyle & Jane Goodfellow

Tamara Simon

Speaker, Author, Coach - Take Another Look

Lauren Hollows

Founder and Managing Director - Understand TAE

Lauren Hollows is the Founder and Managing Director of Understand TAE, a RTO support service which offers systematic solutions for managing and supporting Trainer PD through the VET Practitioner Assessment and UTAE Trainer Development System TM. With ten years’ experience running RTOs as a CEO, Quality Manager and various other positions, Lauren is a passionate advocator of the VET sector and specialises in staff development, systems and RTO management.

Michelle Charlton

Founder - Write On Resources

As the Principal of her organisation, Michelle works with her team to provide specialised VET and RTO support services including:

• Writing and resource development
• Assessment and document review
• Assessment validation
• QA services
• Professional Development information and activities

Michelle is an experienced presenter and facilitator, a qualified trainer and assessor, and has industry qualifications and experience in project management, leadership and management, training and education, and business operations.

She holds tertiary qualifications in Psychology, Adult and Vocational Education, and Training and Development.

Marc Ratcliffe

CEO and Founder - MRWED Training and Assessment

Marc Ratcliffe is a multi-award-winning trainer, author and education entrepreneur. He is the CEO and founder of MRWED Training and Assessment, a private RTO that specialises in Trainer Training. He is a strong advocate for "edu-tainment" and believes that learner involvement and fun are integral to student success.  He has delivered over 300 training and assessment courses since 2000 and continues to be an in-demand conference speaker and workshop facilitator, having presented at more than 50 conferences in a dozen countries in the past decade and was recently named as the winner of the “Best Training and Development Leadership” Award for 2017 at the World Training and Development Congress in Mumbai.

Angela McGregor

Owner and Principal Consultant - RTO Consulting

Angela McGregor is the owner and principal consultant of RTO Consulting who has been offering consulting services throughout Australia, providing guidance, coaching and assistance to businesses wanting to become a RTO, existing RTOs and businesses wanting to develop nationally accredited courses and those looking to establish systems and processes to ensure compliance. 

As a practitioner dedicated to sharing knowledge, Angela has consulted through many forums pertaining to compliance issues and improvement strategies for training and assessment services. Angela is known for her current industry, knowledge and success in developing accredited courses and track record in setting up RTOs and assisting RTOs with compliance against the VET Quality Framework.

Claire Field

Principal - Claire Field and Associates

Claire Field is the Principal of Claire Field and Associates, a consultancy and advisory practice offering strategic advice on international education, VET and private higher education to providers, government and other tertiary education stakeholders. Previously Claire served as the CEO of ACPET from 2010 – 2014. Prior to ACPET Claire worked in a number of State and Commonwealth government roles, including establishing the Commonwealth’s first national VET regulator, NARA. She has also worked in both TAFE NSW and a leading, national, not-for-profit VET provider. Claire holds a Masters in Educational Assessment, and an Executive Masters in Public Administration.

Damian Noud

Team Leader of the Learner Success Team - MRWED Training and Assessment

Damian is MRWED's Learner Success Team Leader and has championed the development of MRWED Online for TAE qualifications. He is passionate about helping trainers progress into delivering webinars and eLearning experiences that excite learners. Damian has more than 30 years of experience in training and assessing at universities and private colleges.

Wendy Walker, Director of VET Stakeholder and Channel Management, Department of Education & Training

Department of Education & Training

Ms Wendy Walker is the Director of the VET Stakeholder and Channel Management Section for the Australian Government Department of Education and Training. This section is responsible for the national promotion of VET, including the Australian Training Awards, the UNESCO recognised Australian Apprenticeships Ambassadors Program, the Australian VET Alumni and the VET Information Strategy - real skills for real careers.

Mr Mark Paterson AO, Chief Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer - Australian Skills Quality Authority

ASQA

Mr Mark Paterson AO has extensive experience across government and industry, including experience leading government departments at both the state and federal levels. Mr Paterson is a former Secretary of the NSW Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services; the Australian Government Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research; and the Australian Government Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources.

Mr Paterson commenced as a Commissioner of ASQA on 30 May 2016, and commenced as Chief Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer from 1 January 2017.

The Honourable David Pisoni MP, Minister for Industry and Skills

David Pisoni was elected to the South Australian Parliament as the Member for Unley in 2006. He was appointed as the Minister for Industry and Skills in the Marshall Government, in March 2018. For the two years prior to that, David was the Shadow Minister for Planning, Transport and Infrastructure. He served as the Shadow Minister for Education between February 2008 to January 2016. During that time, David was instrumental in lifting the lid on systemic failures in child protection under the then Labor Government. David was born and educated in South Australia. He attended Salisbury High School and completed a Furnishing trades apprenticeship at TAFE. This led to David working as an apprentice for Norman Turner & Nottage before becoming the Managing Director of his own manufacturing and retail company in Adelaide and Sydney. For more than a decade, David has played an active role in his local community of Unley and has been a passionate advocate for many organisations, charities and businesses. David is married and has two children.

Kerri Buttery

Director of Content & Strategy

Kerri Buttery has worked in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector for two decades as a Trainer/Assessor, RTO Manager and also as a Senior Lead Auditor. 

Kerri has worked as a consultant for a range of organisations in the areas of establishing Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), conducting internal audits, consulting on VQF compliance, developing accredited courses, convening conferences and events, developing training and assessment materials, conducting professional development workshops and delivering Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. 

She also specialises in eLearning consulting, with a particular focus on the Canvas LMS by Instructure.

Ann Leske, Chemene Sinson & Dave Tout

Ann Leske  is a VET foundation skills trainer and consultant. Ann shares tips and strategies through presentations and consultations to workplaces, RTOs, and trainers. At the core of Ann’s 20-year VET experience is her passion to enable learners to successfully develop the foundation skills to complete training. Ann, with Chemène Sinson, initiated a specialised website to support LLN and VET trainers to embrace foundation skills development within vocational training called LLN and VET Meeting Place.

Chemene Sinson is a learning and development consultant who specialises in TAE qualifications and other non-accredited programs.  She has extensive experience designing, delivering and assessing TAE Certificate IV and Diploma programs for private, community, government and industry-based RTOs.  She has written a suite of learning and assessment materials for the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment purchased by more than 100 RTOs to date.  In recent years she has focused her own professional development on language, literacy and numeracy development through VET and has teamed up with Ann Leske to form a joint LLN and VET development initiative.

David Tout is widely recognised as one of Australia's leading adult numeracy personnel, and has worked in schools, TAFEs, ACE, university and AMES workplaces, with over 30 years’ experience in the VET sector. He has wide experience in training, and in state, national and international research, curriculum, assessment and materials development. Dave had major responsibility for the numeracy domain of the ACSF. He was a member of the Numeracy Expert Group (NEG) responsible for the numeracy component of the international ALLS survey and for PIAAC.  David  is currently the Senior Research Fellow, Numeracy and Mathematics at ACER .

Joe Newbery

CEO/RTO Owner Newbery Consulting

Joe Newbery served in the Australian Army for over 20 years. His time in Defence was influenced by his appointment in training roles including recruit training, trade training and finally in training design and compliance. Joe departed Defence and established Newbery Consulting in 2005. He has extensive experience and is recognised for his work in course design, job analysis and VET quality auditing. Over the period 2007 – 2014, Joe provided Lead Auditor services on behalf of the VET regulators including the National Audit and Registration Agency (NARA), the Vocational Education and Training Accreditation Board (VETAB) and the Australian Skills Quality Authority. Today Joe leads a small team at Newbery Consulting to support his clients throughout Australia with a broad offering of VET products and services.

Kerri Buttery & Melanie Alexandra

Director Content & Strategy, Velg Training & Resource Developer and Consultant, Velg Training

Kerri Buttery has worked in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector for almost two decades as a Trainer/Assessor, RTO Manager and also as a Senior Lead Auditor. Kerri has worked as a consultant for a range of organisations in the areas of establishing Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), conducting internal audits, consulting on VQF compliance, developing a number of accredited courses, convening state and national conferences, developing training and assessment materials, conducting professional development workshops and delivering Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. She has authored several textbooks and has experience lecturing and tutoring at university. Kerri is currently employed by Velg Training as the Director of Content & Strategy.

Melanie Alexandra has held a variety of roles within the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector for over 20 years in Australia and in the UK.As a teacher, trainer and assessor, Faculty Area Head and Program Manager she has developed academic curriculum and vocational qualifications from Certificate I to Degree level, delivered programs to learners in schools, colleges and universities and provided professional development to staff of schools, higher education institutions and registered training organisations. As Head of Quality Assurance, RTO Manager and Senior Lead Auditor for the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA), Melanie has worked extensively with regulatory bodies to ensure high standards of quality and compliance and is currently employed by Velg Training as Resource Developer and Consultant.

John Price

Director, John Price & Associates Pty Ltd

John Price has been an educator and trainer for over 40 years and in that time has worked as a Head of Department at TAFE, mentor, facilitator of national workshops covering delivery and assessment, risk management, auditing, leadership and interpersonal skill development.

John has been a keynote speaker at conventions and conferences, and maintained a grass roots level approach to dealing with people at all levels of the organisation.

He has also assisted over 300 organisations in Australia to achieve quality certification to the range of National Training Standards including: Standards for NVR Registered Training Organisations (versions 2012 and 2015); Australian Quality Training Framework standards (AQTF from 2001 – 2010) Australian and International ISO9001 standards (AS/NZS and ISO from 1987 – 2008) and worked with these organisations in establishing continuous improvement systems and strategies.