Gayle Tierney, the Victorian Minister for Training and Skills, has recently announced the membership of the Advisory Board of the Victorian Skills Authority (VSA).

The Board’s membership “reflects the range of skills development needs across Victoria with “each member bring[ing] unique experience and expertise” that will ensure Victoria’s training sector continues to meet the needs of jobseekers and industry.

VDC is proud to announce that the Advisory Board is chaired by former VDC Director Lisa Line. Lisa has provided invaluable directorship and mentorship to the VDC and is an outstanding choice for the role. The 12 Board members cover a range of interests including employer bodies and industry; the union movement, including the Australian Education Union; Aboriginal education and the Victorian Council for Social Service; and finally, representatives of the ACE sector, TAFE and independent providers.

The VSC arose as a key recommendation from the Macklin Review. Its role will be to:

“set out a plan for the quality and relevance of Victoria’s TAFE, adult and community education, training and higher education system through collaboration with community, industry and providers, providing independent advice to the VSA CEO and Government.”

Its role is described here, and has four major foci:

  • gathering and analysing data
  • developing local solutions for local problems
  • helping to improve the quality of training, and
  • identifying the skills needed to boost jobs and economic growth.

In relation to quality improvement its role will be to:

  • work with providers and the sector to promote the development of a continuous improvement culture
  • support professional development training for the Victorian Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector (through the VET Development Centre) and promoting best-practice teaching, curriculum and assessment, and finally
  • manage the Victorian employer and student satisfaction surveys, in order to share insights with Government and the Victorian VET sector.

The Advisory Board of the Victorian Skills Authority in detail

Lisa Line, skills and training expert (Chair), most recently, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Pathways and Vocational Education), Swinburne University of Technology

Neville Atkinson, Executive Manager, Programs and Policy, Victorian Aboriginal Education Association

Rebecca Casson, CEO, Master Builders Victoria

Lisa Fitzpatrick, State Secretary Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation

Elaine Gillespie, Australian Education Union Vice President TAFE, and Adult Provision

Bill Hamill, CEO, Rural Industries Skill Training Centre, Hamilton

Luke Hilakari, Secretary, Victorian Trades Hall Council

Susie Siew Yuen Ho, Associate Dean, International and Graduate Education, Monash University

Emma King, CEO, Victorian Council for Social Service

Fiona MacDonald, Executive Director, Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Maria Peters, Chair of Adult, Community and Further Education (ACFE) Board

Gavin Smith, Chairman and President of Robert Bosch Australia, and

Desmond Powell AO (Des), Former Chair and Board member, TAFE Gippsland

The Ex-officio members of the Board are Craig Robertson, VSA, and Lill Healy, Department of Education and Training.