2017 Qld Schools VET Conference

Fiona Bogaart has over 10 years’ experience in the VET sector. Since 2010, Fiona has been a Qld Schools consultant supporting schools through VET services including internal audits, reviews, quality products and professional development, and is also on retainer for many schools on the Sunshine Coast. In 2014, Fiona became a Qld Schools consultant for Velg Training. From 2007-2012 Fiona was an RTO manager in Qld Schools and from 2011-2014 she was a member of the Senior Phase Network as part of Sustainable Partnerships Australia, an organisation that provides Professional Development opportunities to VET teachers. Fiona has qualifications in TAE50111, TAE50211, TAE40110 and BSB51607.

Heather works for NASSSA, an alliance of eleven state secondary schools in low socio-economic northern Adelaide, to meet the outcomes of the NASSSA Strategic Plan 2015-17. Prior to this, she was an Industry Skills Manager for DECD. Her work focuses on Regional VET delivery including quality assurance, Trade Training Centres and working with DSD & DCSI strategies. Heather leads a specific group of school based Pathways leaders and works in partnership with RTOs, employer groups, Apprenticeship Brokers and the university sector to support demonstrable improvement in retention, engagement and outcomes for NASSSA students.

As Student Pathways Senior Leader, Heather is also a member of the DECD Secondary Learners Directorate. Heather led NASSSA to win the Australian Training Awards, School Pathways to VET Award 2016. NASSSA has around 900 students per week training in 42 different qualifications with 16 different RTOs in 39 different venues.

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.

Digital Literacy Licence (DLL) is the brainchild of Kerri Buttery, who founded the company in 2021 after a rewarding, decades-long career in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector.

Kerri's first foray into education saw her delivering VET in Schools (VETiS) programs in Queensland as a qualified secondary school teacher. This evolved into working as an auditor in the VET sector, then as a consultant assisting RTOs in maintaining compliance and delivering quality eLearning solutions

Kerri is also the founder of VETNexus. An Organisation that works alongside education providers to strengthen the relationship between compliance, technology and innovation.

Leanne is an Assistant Director with the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA). She is responsible for the total quality management system that contributes to the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE). The QCAA as a delegate of the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), registers and audits Queensland school RTOs. Leanne’s role at the QCAA involves leading the audit and registration activities as well as the development of advice and support resources for Queensland school RTOs.

Vanessa is a highly motivated Vocational Education and Training (VET) specialist with extensive and contemporary experience in VET policy, regulation, auditing and Queensland school RTO (Registered Training Organisation) management. She currently works as the Principal Education Officer within the VET Unit of the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA). The QCAA, as a delegate of the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), registers and audits Queensland school RTOs. Vanessa’s role at the QCAA involves coordinating audit and registration activities as well as the development of advice and support resources for Queensland school RTOs.  

Les Retford is the Principal Program Officer for Skills Participation and Pathways at the Department of Education and Training, Queensland.

Panel Members: 

• Lynette Taylor – VET Investment, DET Qld
• Robyn Gooley – Woodridge SHS
• Sandra Harrington - VET Consultant

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”.

QTAC is the predominant service provider for prospective university and TAFE applicants in Queensland and northern New South Wales.

Phillip has over two decades as Manager of Assessment Services, and has recently been appointed as the Chief Technical Officer at QTAC. In this role he is responsible for oversight of QTAC’s technical capability, including a special focus on ensuring record veracity, designing education comparability, and complex problem solving on behalf of institutions.

Phillip has led QTAC’s response to significant changes which have occurred in education in Queensland, including the replacement of the Tertiary Entrance Score with the Overall Position, and now the replacement of the Overall Position with the ATAR.

Phillip holds a Masters degree in International Relations and Asian Politics from The University of Queensland, and is a member of the Association for Tertiary Education Management (ATEM).

Presenters on this panel include:

• Jason Coutts, Student Identifiers Registrar, USI Office
• Alison Anlezark, National Standards Manager, NCVER
• Daniel Doncaster, Manager, Training System Information, DET Queensland