Trevor Schwenke, Chief Executive Officer of WorldSkills Australia, is an innovative leader with more than 22 years’ experience in key leadership roles in the vocational education and training, higher education, school and corporate sectors. He has an impressive track record of taking complex businesses to new heights, and his aptitude for strategy is rivalled only by his ability to make it happen. He is consistent in his focus on building key stakeholder partnerships, and believes that collaboration is the key to lasting success.
Trevor’s passion for VET and skills excellence began with his own training and experience as a welder and boilermaker. Taking pride in his trade was second nature to him and soon propelled him into teaching and education. Leadership roles were inevitable, and saw Trevor progressing from Institute Director roles (including at the Barrier Reef Institute of TAFE, Wide Bay Institute of TAFE, Southern Qld Institute of TAFE and The Bremer & Southern Qld Institute of TAFE), through to the role of General Manager at TAFE Queensland, CEO at Bendigo Kangan TAFE and, as of 2019, CEO of WorldSkills Australia. He has held numerous non-executive Board directorships across education, government, and industry, and in 2013 was recognised as the 2013 Queensland Professional Manager of the Year by the Australian Institute of Management.
At WorldSkills Australia, Trevor has the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong passion of promoting skills excellence, supporting people to be the best version of themselves and showcasing Australian skills excellence nationally and internationally. He is unwavering in his commitment to skills excellence, the youth of Australia, and the mentors, volunteers and partners who help make WorldSkills Australia’s programs a reality.
Trevor holds qualifications in Engineering and Education including a Masters in Education, is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, an Australian Flexible Learning Leader, and a Justice of the Peace. He continues to be an active player in the government-education-industry-community ecosystem, always showcasing the importance and the benefits of skills excellence
