This year’s conference will be held at the Park Royal Darling Harbour. The conference commences in the evening of Tuesday 18th October with a networking function, with an official start on the morning of Wednesday (19th), and concluding on Thursday afternoon (20th). The CCA Annual Gala Awards dinner will be held on the evening of the 19th October at dockside, overlooking beautiful Darling Harbour.
We are looking forward to engage with some of Australia’s best strategic minds in discussing innovation and the future of community education. The following speakers will be speaking at the conference across our themes of innovation and creating new VET futures:
- The Hon John Barilaro, MP, NSW Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Skills and Minister for Small Business, will formally open the conference in the morning of Wednesday 19 October.
- Dr Tom Calma AO, Co-Chair, Reconciliation Australia; Chancellor, University of Canberra; and former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner.
- David Collins, Executive Director, State Training Services, NSW Department of Industry, Skills and Regional Development.
- Jodi Schmidt, CEO, TAFE Queensland, will speak on “the VET era: equipping Australia’s workforce for the future digital economy”.
- Professor Michael Lavarch AO, Commissioner Risk Intelligence and Regulatory Support, Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA).
- Wendy Perry, renowned innovator, international speaker and VET thought leader.
- Megan Lilly, Head of Workforce Development, Australian Industry Group.
- Professor John Buchanan, University of Sydney.
- Jack Archer, CEO of the Regional Australia Institute.
- Murray Bunton, Executive Director, The Agency – a not-for-profit digital, media and strategy consulting group – will discuss “Innovating and communicating in a digital age”.
- Chris Butler, President of the Enterprise RTO Association (ERTOA) and Assistant Director, Training and Education, for Marine Rescue NSW.
- Rod Camm, CEO of the Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET).
- Ty Wiggins and Wayne Condon, Converge Consulting corporate strategy advisors.
- Ruth Walker, experienced VET trainer, compliance officer, researcher and auditor.
- Leo Gregorc, eProjects Manager, VET Development Centre, Melbourne, speaking on “Unearthing the digital landscape: Innovating pedagogic practice in VET”.
- Sue Flindell, VET trainer and assessor, learning and development expert, compliance manager and change agent.
- Katherine Sainty, corporate lawyer specialising in not-for-profit governance, media, communications and privacy.
- Dr Robbie Lloyd, Community Relationships Manager at SkillsLink Port Macquarie.
- Scott Holz, Principal of Peregrinus Consulting, will talk on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the opportunities for community education providers.
- Andrew Ferguson, Chief Business Development Officer, Coverforce Insurance Brokers (and a former State Secretary of the CFMEU) will reflect on current trends in risk and insurance.
- Helen Zwicker, Executive Officer, Kiama Community College, will speak on “VET FEE-HELP: Our journey so far”, sharing her college’s experiences, along with other community education providers.
- Dr Don Perlgut, CEO of Community Colleges Australia.
For further details on the Conference, information on our Innovation Contest, our conference reading list and how to book, visit our website or email admin@cca.edu.au.
