VET News

School's Out! - 'til 7 August Next Year

Year upon year, Velg Training has been supporting the VET sector with professional development opportunities to stay current with the latest changes and requirements. Last Friday, it was Qld Schools' turn with the annual VET conference specifically focused on schools and their unique needs.

Held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, this year's Qld Schools VET Conference hosted three streams of speakers, 100s of delegates and an exhibitor's showcase. The day was sponsored by 25 organisations active within, and supporting the VET sector.  Connect 'n' Grow, as the major sponsor of the event, also delivered part of the opening welcome address.

Another successful Queensland School's VET Conference for another year! But don't just take our word for it, read what one delegate had to say about the day and its activities below.  Look forward to seeing everyone for another QSVC - 7 August, 2020!

"The cold and blustery conditions were left outside once I arrived at the Brisbane Convention Centre for the amazing 2019 QLD Schools VET Conference, proudly presented by Velg Training.  As a debutante to the Conference, I was unsure what I should expect.  I was greeted warmly by Velg staff, and allocated a name tag to wear throughout the day.  Colourful baggies full of Conference goodies were everywhere to be seen, hanging off the arms and shoulders of excited delegates, ready to absorb the content of the Speakers of the day.  Velg offered discussions in any of three streams throughout the day – RTO Management and Compliance, Training & Assessing, and VET Drivers.  The quality of the Speakers was unsurpassed with Fiona Bogaart, Michelle Charlton, Peter McKay, Kerri Buttery, Wendy Walker, Marc Ratcliffe, Melanie Alexandra, Brett Hall, Rachel Leigh Taylor, John Dwyer and Laurie Kelly all presenting.

After the introductory speech by Leonie Davis, Operations Manager of Velg Training, the program for the day started with an interesting presentation by Fiona Lambert from QCAA, alerting us all to the importance of our chosen path.  We all learnt to fear not if called for audit – instead to view the experience as a positive measure to acknowledge how well your individual RTO is doing, and offer a reflection period to improve upon any practices which may benefit from a tweak.

The keynote speaker for the Conference was a remarkable young man called Saxon Phipps, who introduced us all to his brainchild – Year 13.  This is a program designed to assist school-leavers to see with clarity that their future does not HAVE to include University.  There are many pathways to a fulfilled life that may not require enrolment in a traditional University.

My first session for the day was spent learning about the many figurative hats a VET teacher must wear on any given day.  Michelle Charlton enchanted the room with her various hats, and explanations of why each one is important for an RTO.  Engaging table discussions with peers ensured that a range of perspectives were explored, and delegates had the opportunity to learn from the practices of others.  Self-reflection abounded as delegates realised that there are other ways to reach a goal.

After participating in Michelle’s session, I was next lucky enough to watch Fiona Bogaart discussing the hotspots to be aware of.  I can honestly say that I learnt a great deal from Fiona’s presentation.  I am lucky to be surrounded by such mentors throughout my journey!

Between the Speaker sessions was a much-needed lunch break.  What a feast to fill a hungry tummy!  More networking with other delegates and the Speakers took place during the break, along with investigating the many wares of the exhibitors – including the extraordinary world of immersive learning through virtual reality, courtesy of Connect’n’Grow!  After our grazing and stickybeaking around the exhibitors’ tables, we all chose our afternoon sessions and headed back to learn some more.

My afternoon was spent in the presence of Marc Ratcliffe and his compliance bus.  Having never seen Marc present before, I was excited to see how he engaged the other professionals – and I wasn’t disappointed!  So many new ideas for their own practice left the room with those VET teachers in that session.

The last session I attended for the day was Laurie Kelly’s discussion on how I could maintain my sanity in a world of change.  I had heard so many other delegates through the day telling me that Laurie was a first-class presenter, so I had to find out for myself.  Whilst I found his methods slightly unorthodox, I certainly couldn’t argue with the sheer number of colleagues in the room, participating in the activities along with me.

Overall, I found the QLD Schools VET Conference rewarding and exciting.  I wouldn’t hesitate to go again.  The opportunity to learn different practices, and explore WHY we do the things we do, was well worth it."

Vanessa Brayley, Pre-service teacher.

Date posted Aug 15, 2019