Edition 64, January/February 2009

2009 BIG Skills Conference - Sydney

The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations will host a conference on 2-5 March 2009 which will address the best way to meet future skills needs in a globally competitive world.

The BIG Skills Conference is the first major conference on skills and training hosted at the Federal level in recent times, and it has the support of many organisations and individuals involved in tertiary education and training. It is timely to reinvigorate further education and identify how skills and training can help address the big challenges of productivity, participation and social inclusion.

The conference will look at future issues and trends and it will bring together major national and international players to debate issues, think differently and stimulate change in the Australian tertiary sector.

The conference aims to:

  • challenge conventional wisdom and get people to think differently about skills for the future in Australia and the region
  • compare what works and what needs to be improved by sharing good national and international practice, and learning from experience and evaluation
  • link national and international research and policy to help inform future decision making
  • enable national and international networking to increase connections and collaborations on skills training
  • provide opportunities for professional development and learning.

The themes to be addressed include:

  • new thinking about learning, skills and work
  • strengthening the tertiary sector
  • partnerships between industry/employers, providers, community and government
  • workforce development including skilling and re-training adults already in the workforce
  • training in green skills
  • workforce participation and social inclusion
  • international engagement in vocational education and training
  • learning and development for training and education professionals and practitioners.

The conference will be attended by:

  • people from industry and business - company executives, industry association personnel, professional associates, members of industry skills councils and advisory boards, employers, unionists, enterprise trainers, human resource specialists
  • tertiary sector professionals and practitioners - group training specialists, public and private training providers from vocational education and training institutions and universities; senior executives, managers, planners, human resource staff from these institutions; teachers, trainers and lecturers
  • leading researchers and consultants
  • people from governments (local, state, federal)
  • employment service providers
  • community representatives - community leaders, students.

Register now at www.deewr.gov.au/skillsconference2009 or email skillsconference2009@deewr.gov.au

This page was generated on 26 August, 2009