2020 QLD Schools VET Conference

Chemène Sinson is a learning and performance specialist with 30+ years of experience working with diverse industry clients, both in Australia and internationally.  She draws on her experience as an Olympian, elite-level sport coach, school teacher and adult educator to help organisations develop and implement accredited or tailored learning experiences that build a culture of learning within organisations and improve personal performance.

Chemène has been actively involved in VET since 2000.  She is lead TAE trainer for numerous RTOs and has written TAE materials that more than 100 RTOs have used since their release in 2010.  She also supports experienced facilitators and assessors with their ongoing professional development and is a sought-after speaker at conferences and special events.

Chemène advocates for a strong focus on foundation skills in VET, knowing that these are key to meeting performance demands imposed by today’s world of work.

Craig Robertson commenced as CEO of TAFE Directors Australia in April 2017. The organisation promotes nationally and internationally the critical role that TAFEs play in tertiary education in Australia. TAFEs are core providers of vocational training and further education as a pathway to higher level training and education, and partner with industry and business to develop their workforces and assist in implementing new production processes and services. On behalf of its members TDA also works with global multi-lateral organisations, and with overseas governments and their industry and provider representatives to assist in the deployment of training and workforce development to enhance economic capabilities.

Prior to joining TDA, Craig worked in the Victorian Government in 2015 and 2016 with responsibilities for the operation of vocational education and working with Victorian universities. During this time the Victorian Government implemented a new approach to vocational education and training with a priority on quality delivery with funding aligned with the expected costs of delivery. Central to the reform was dedicated public funding which recognised the unique role TAFEs play in tertiary education and workforce development across the state, as well as to support outreach to businesses and industry to support innovation and productivity improvements in their production models.

Craig also worked for over 30 years in the Australian Government with responsibilities in national policy and program delivery relating to employment services, funding for schools and most aspects of vocational education and training. Craig has represented the Australian Government in G20 meetings of labour and employment ministers and the OECD, and bi-laterally with a range of foreign governments. In Australia, Craig has led work at the federal level on joint Commonwealth-State policies and funding agreements, introducing income contingent loan arrangements for the VET sector, instigated apprenticeship reform and reformed regulation policy and VET qualifications. Craig was also an inaugural member of the Australian Qualifications Framework Council formed in 2011.

Craig holds an Executive Masters in Public Administration from the Australian National University and a Bachelor of Education (Primary) from the University of Canberra.

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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With a unique industry skill set, John combines 30 years of work and teaching in Hospitality, EAL & Foundation Skills, and more recently, Educational delivery. Having worked in 20 countries in cross-dimensional environments teaching participants of all ages and walks of life in a variety of RTOs and businesses. 

John is passionate about the opportunity he has to inspire teachers and trainers to go beyond their PowerPoint and engage participants with multimedia learning platforms to build meaningful relationships. 

As teachers get excited at PD and seminars, they often take good ideas back in to their own classes and practice and re-invigorate their educational strategies and approaches.  

With his own company, and having worked for both large and private RTOs, universities and dozens of organisations and industry groups enhancing training, John enjoys re-inventing vocational education, helping to make theory interesting through creative delivery approaches, contextualising assessments for specific industry needs and making a difference for the transformation of more knowledgeable industry-ready learners.

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.

Leonie is a writing consultant and plain English trainer. She is a qualified librarian and holds a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. She has worked in both state and local government for over 20 years in a variety of contexts including libraries, customer service and corporate communications. In all her roles, she has applied her passion for writing, training and clear communication. Leonie has always had a keen interest in language and literacy and recently developed Redland City Council’s first Adult Literacy Tutoring Program.

Leonie is an articulate speaker and a strong advocate for the use of plain English in all business and training documentation. Through her business, Plain English Matters, she provides professional development on how to apply the principles of plain English to create elegant, jargon-free documents.

Matthew Dale is the Chief Operations Officer of Audit Express, Matthew is passionate about Australian training and education, specialising in organisational development, knowledge management, quality, compliance and internal audit. He has been a vocal and energetic campaigner for policy change and the reduction of regulation and red tape in the VET sector. Matthew was previously a senior policy advisor to the Victorian Minister for Skills and Training, and also publishes regularly on the topic of regulation and industry best practice. Matthew is a graduate of Monash University with his studies focussed on Adult Learning and Development, he has previously worked as an RTO Manager, and Compliance Manager for both an industry focussed not-for-profit organisation and a large national RTO which operated in all states and territories.

Melanie has held a variety of roles within the Academic and Vocational Education and Training (VET) sectors over the past 25 years including trainer and assessor, Head of Faculty, Program Manager, RTO Manager, and Head of Quality Assurance and has won awards for practice excellence in teaching and learning, and outstanding leadership.

In recent years, Melanie worked as a Senior Lead Auditor, conducting regulatory audits and registrations against the current VET Quality Framework and Standards for RTOs 2015, and has authored and built a number of online professional development programs to support VET practitioners nationally.

Today Melanie works as an Education Services Advisor of Vocational Education, Skills and Training for Queensland schools and provides consulting support services to RTOs as a VET Consultant in her own right.

With 20 years’ experience in the tertiary education sector, Michelle Devitt is a self-professed data nerd and a strong advocate for tertiary study pathways. As Chief Analytics and Technical Services Officer, she is leading the introduction of ATAR at QTAC.

An experienced VET professional, Nick has worked in roles from trainer to RTO Manager, in both not-for-profit sector and commercially oriented RTOs. It is fair to say that Nick attained his leadership experience by 'rising through the ranks'.  

Nick is currently General Manager of a small RTO focussed in the leadership and executive coaching space, and the co-founder of AVETMISS, a small compliance practice. 

Most recently, Nick has been focusing on Mental Health in the workplace and is an accomplished and accredited Mental Health First Aid facilitator, highly sought after for his ability to facilitate learning in this sensitive space.  

Known for his high quality, practical and people-focused leadership, Nick has a knack for breaking down complex scenarios and problems and implementing solutions that work. 

A skilled facilitator and speaker, Nicks sessions are fun, practical, down to earth and above all, you're guaranteed to leave with new skills you can put into practice straight away. 

Saxon Phipps - Founder and director of the Year 13, Australia's largest digital platform for high school leavers. Saxon is a passionate leader with determination and work ethic, he is unwaveringly committed to empowering the audience of Year 13. Saxon is a creative thinker and has a natural ability to assess what the Year13 audience desires through the use of data and insights. Saxon and the team at Year 13 have been able to apply this process to develop several youth engagement strategies for the likes of the Department of Employment, Westpac, and The Department of Education & Training. He regularly speaks at events about youth employment issues, using the data from the 2017 & 2018 reports known as 'After the ATAR andAfter the ATAR II : Understanding how Gen Z transition into further education and employment

Coming Soon!

Tracy Gamlin is a Research Librarian with the Knowledge Management Branch at the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). With more than 20 years’ experience in the Library sector across a range of settings, Tracy has extensive knowledge and expertise in information management. Tracy has worked on key projects to support the development and enhancement of the VOCEDplus repository during her 12 years at NCVER and is passionate about raising awareness of VOCEDplus.