Events Archives - Adult Learning Australia

Transforming education and training in Australia: challenges and opportunities

gfirth — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 01:30:07 +0000

A hybrid policy forum

Hosted by the Australian Coalition for Education and Development (ACED), Adult Learning Australia (ALA), Women in Adult and Vocational Education (WAVE), the Jean Monnet Network on Social and Scientific Innovation on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and the European Union Centre of Excellence at RMIT University

WEDNESDAY 15 February 2023
9:30 – 15:00 (AEDT – Melbourne time)

ONLINE via RMIT CITY CAMPUS

FREE EVENT

The Policy Forum aims to contribute to the current policy conversations on Transforming Education and Training in Australia from the perspective of employment, education, and skills development that ensures the principles of equity, gender, and sustainability. More specifically:

To provide an opportunity to take stock of current global and national policy debates and initiatives, and to help raise awareness of the opportunities linked to transforming the education and training systems in Australia, to address the identified challenges.
To engage with the inter-connected themes of lifelong learning, highlighting the often-missed sectors of adult learning, community education, and vocational education and training, with a clear emphasis on equity as a cross-cutting principle.
To facilitate the opportunity for civil society networks to come together and become visible as activators in this policy space and release a collective statement on Transforming Education and Training in Australia.

See details here.

Forum program

See here.

A Fair Go for All? Report

Authors: Elaine Butler and Fran Ferrier

See report here.

See Elaine’s pres entation slides here.

Statement

See statement here.

See media release here.

Minister for Skills and Training, Brendan O’Connor video

Members of the forum coordinating committee

Some of the in-person participants at the RMIT forum plus our online friends

Forum recording below

Forum speakers

Brendan O'Connor

Minister for Skills and Training

Keynote speaker

Ellen Boeren

Professor of Adult Education at the University of Glasgow

Presenter

Ellen completed her PhD in Educational Sciences at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium and previously worked at the University of Edinburgh.She specialises in adult education and lifelong learning and have considerable experience in working with large international organisations. She undertook a prestigious Thomas J. Alexander fellowship with the OECD, co-edited the Fourth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education with UNESCO Institute of Lifelong Learning and worked as a consultant for the European Commission. Her publications include a monograph 'Lifelong Learning Participation in a Changing Policy Context: an Interdisciplinary Theory' for which she won the 2017 Cyril O. Houle Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Adult Education Literature. She is currently one of the editors of the high profile journal 'Adult Education Quarterly'

Craig Robertson

VSA

Presenter

Craig Robertson commenced as CEO of the Victorian Skills Authority in August 2021. The authority is tasked by the Victorian Government to plan for post school education and training to help the economy recover from the pandemic and build up industry skills and support more Victorians into mainstream participation in work, further education and enterprise. Prior to this role Craig was the CEO of TAFE Directors Australia from April 2017, representing TAFEs Australia-wide. In 2015 and 2016 he was Deputy Secretary in the Department of Education and Training in Victoria and prior to that he had over thirty years in various roles in the Commonwealth Government, focused on schools funding, employment services and vocational education and training. Craig holds an Executive Masters in Public Administration and Bachelor of Education (Primary).

Jenny Dodd

CEO TDA

Panelist

Jenny Dodd has been Chief Executive TAFE Directors Australia (TDA) since August 2021. TDA members consist of all Australian TAFEs and dual sector universities with vocational education and training divisions. Jenny has had an extensive national career in vocational education including as CEO of TasTAFE in Tasmania, Chief Academic Officer and General Manager Gold Coast for TAFE Queensland, and Deputy CEO Education, for the Canberra Institute of Technology. Jenny has also worked for a private training provider and in the community sector focusing on youth unemployment. She began her career in marketing, transitioning into tertiary education after ten years in industry. Jenny holds qualifications in education, human resource management and commerce.

Jenny Macaffer

CEO ALA

Panelist

Jenny is the CEO of Adult Learning Australia (ALA), a national not-for-profit peak body for adult learning and community education that has been operating for more than 63 years. ALA comprises a diverse membership from across Australia including ACE providers, community colleges, Aboriginal community cooperatives, libraries, local governments, TAFES, universities, and individual adult educators. ALA envisions equitable access to learning for all Australians to support social cohesion and economic prosperity. Jenny has an extensive history of working in the community sector and local government and is passionate about adult and community education (ACE) and how it can transform lives. Her tertiary qualifications include the social sciences, community cultural development, community development, the arts and adult education. Contact Jenny at ceo@ala.asn.au or 0488030073.

Jack Beetson

Executive Director LFL

Panelist

Professor Jack Beetson is a Ngemba man from western New South Wales who has been involved in Indigenous education and Aboriginal affairs for over 30 years. He is Executive Director of The Literacy for Life Foundation, an Aboriginal organisation that coordinates a community-led approach to improving adult literacy. Jack's other education roles have included President of the Federation of Independent Aboriginal Education Providers, Executive Director Tranby Aboriginal College, member of the UTS Council, adjunct Professor at University of New England (UNE), and member of the UNSW Advisory Council, Arts and Social Sciences. In 2018 Jack received an honorary doctorate from UNE and in 2019 he became the first Indigenous Australian to be inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame. He is one of 12 people worldwide to have received a United Nations Unsung Hero Award. In 2022 he received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Award at the UTS Alumni Awards. Jack is Chair of Just Reinvest NSW and sits on the Federal Government’s Foundation Skills Advisory Group and the Referendum Engagement Group. Prof Jack Beetson, photo courtesy of Joy Lai, State Library NSW.

Sally Thompson

WAVE Board member

Panelist

Sally Thompson has worked in education policy, research, advocacy and project management in government, Higher Education, TAFE, union and community sectors. Her particular research interests are adult literacy and the intersections between learning, work and gender.

Elaine Butler

WAVE Ambassador

Panelist

After working for a decade in industry, Elaine Butler made a radical career change to work in adult education. Since that change, Elaine has worked in all four sectors of education as an academic, educator, researcher, consultant, advocate and activist in the field of gender equity and social inclusion (GESI) for almost five decades. This work has been at local, national, local, regional and international levels, with an enduring focus on education and training, decent work and policy outcomes to enhance the wellbeing of women and girls and marginalised groups. In 2011 Elaine was a member of the Australian Government delegation to the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW55) that focused on ‘Access and participation of women and girls in education, training, science and technology, including for the promotion of women’s equal access to full employment and decent work’. She was Visiting Scholar 2013 – 2014 for the Erasmus Mundus European Masters of Lifelong Learning: Policy & Management (MA LLL) program. In 2016 Elaine completed a research-based assignment for Asian Development Bank (ADB) with an aim to enhance the provision of ‘inclusive’ Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). This was followed in 2018 by a small scale Gender Equality & Social Inclusion civil society engagement project investigating the potential of linking marginalised groups through training to decent work in large infrastructure projects in Indonesia. As a previous National Coordinator and now Ambassador for WAVE, Elaine is a WAVE representative on Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education (ASPBAE), Women’s Major Group (WMG), Australian Coalition for Education and Development (ACED) and Equality Rights Alliance (ERA). She participates in advocacy relating to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), having attended UNESCO Asia Pacific Meeting on Education (APMED) 4 2018 meeting in Bangkok that focused on SDG 4 targets 4.3 & 4.4 – inclusive TVET. She has been an active participant in the HLPF review of SDGs 4 & 5 through UNESCO (APCREM 1 & 11), the UN’s Transforming Education Summit (TES) and now Australia’s Jobs & Skills Summit activities. More recently she has researched and co-authored with Fran Ferrier an overview of equity in the Australian VET system for NCVER’s VET Knowledge Bank Landmark Document series: A fair go for all? Equity Frameworks and landmark documents in Australian Vocational Education and Training (2023). In 2021 she was recognised as a Member of the Order of Australia for her ‘significant service to women, to vocational education, and to gender equity’.

Bruce Wilson

Panelist

Bruce Wilson is Director of the European Union Centre of Excellence at RMIT. In this role, he provides insights to and leads research and debate on EU-Australian relations, encouraging mobility for staff and students, and for building partnerships between Australian universities and organisations and their European counterparts. For the last five years, he has contributed as a Co-Chief Investigator to the Latrobe Valley Authority’s implementation of Smart Specialisation in Gippsland and is Coordinator of the Australasian participation in the EU’s International Urban and Regional Cooperation project, 2021-23. He also leads Jean Monnet Networks on social and scientific innovation and the EU’s engagement with the SDGs in Asia Pacific, a partnership project that was recognised recently as an outstanding global example of the role of universities in implementation of SDG 17. He was a founding Co-Director of Pascal (Place, Social Capital and Learning) International Observatory and a member of the Advisory Board and Committee of the Hume Global Learning Village. He is currently an active member of the Australian Coalition for Education and Development.

Jose Roberto Guevara

Associate Professor of International Development at RMIT University

Panelist

Jose Roberto ‘Robbie’ Guevara is an adult, community and popular educator with expertise in education for sustainable development and global citizenship. He is the President of the International Council for Adult Education (ICAE) and a Board Member for Asia-Pacific of the Global Campaign for Education (GCE). He is Associate Professor of International Development at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. In 2016 Robbie was awarded a CONFINTEA Research Scholarship to conduct research on adult education and resilience. Robbie was inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame in October 2012 for his contribution to adult learning in Asia-Pacific.

Kit McMahon

WAVE National Convenor

Panelist

Kit McMahon is the new WAVE National Convenor. She is the CEO of Women’s Health in the South East (WHISE) – a Women’s Health Service in Southern Metropolitan Melbourne that, through primary prevention, health promotion and gender equity improves health and of women. Before her role at WHISE, she was Chief Operating Office for Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET). She has implemented gender equality plans in TAFE, local government, tourism and skills policy. She has over 20 years of experience in not for profits and background in skills and training policy. Prior to joining Women’s Health in the South East as CEO, Kit was CEO and Company Secretary of Girl Guides Australia, Chief Operating Officer of the Australian Council of Private Education and Training (ACPET) and General Manager and 2IC of the Industry Skills Council, Service Skills Australia. She has also been Chair and Director of Gender Equity Victoria, and now is Deputy Chair of Volunteering Australia Deputy Chair for Tradeswomen Australia and Chair of The Women’s Spirit Project. Proudly the daughter of two feminists from south western rural Victoria, Kit has consistently and passionately advocated for gender equality, empowering women and girls. A strong believer in the importance of collaboration and partnerships, Kit has championed on the value of embracing diversity and tolerance in our communities, workplaces, education institutions and governments.

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2021 ALA Annual General Meeting with guest speaker 7 May @ 1pm AEST

gfirth — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 12:45:42 +0000

Presentation: The role of adult education in women’s empowerment

This year’s AGM will present the 2020 Annual Report, announce the results of this year’s Board elections and feature guest speaker Dr Keiko Yasukawa.

About our presenter

Dr Keiko Yasukawa is a lecturer and researcher in the School of International Studies and Education at UTS. Her work focusses on adult education, literacy and numeracy.

Keiko has a strong interest and commitment to educating research-informed teachers who have both theoretical resources and practical expertise to exercise professional judgement and agency in their workplaces and support their learners. Engagement in the professional fields of adult education is an important part of Keiko’s work.

Keiko has held leadership positions in the NSW Adult Literacy and Numeracy Council since 2009. Through her involvement in these organisations she has undertaken a range of policy advocacy and professional development work in partnership with practitioners.

For any issues or queries please contact us at info@ala.asn.au or 03 9689 8623.

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Towards a Lifelong Learning Policy: The Forum

gfirth — Mon, 26 Nov 2018 04:12:21 +0000

You’re invited to our forum!

Join us for a celebration and wrap-up of activities for the Year of Lifelong Learning (YOLL). Our final event is a forum on Human Rights Day to share stories of how learning changes lives, and provide an update on our progress towards a national policy on lifelong learning.

Special guest speakers will outline:

The history and context of lifelong learning in Australia, the challenges and benefits of recognition, the attributes of a good policy and a way forward.
The importance of lifelong learning to sustainable development and achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and its effectiveness in enabling and empowering citizens to take action.
Stories of how learning changes lives.

We will also share with you our next steps for taking the campaign forward

Come and join us at our event in celebration of #YOLL2018! Registrations essential.

WHEN
10 December 2018 from 2pm – 4pm.

WHERE
Council Chamber, 1st Floor
Building 1 (Francis Ormond Building)
RMIT University
124 La Trobe Street
Melbourne

COST
FREE for all ALA members | $20 for non-members.

The post Towards a Lifelong Learning Policy: The Forum appeared first on Adult Learning Australia.

ALA summit: Towards a national lifelong learning policy for Australia

sally — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 02:51:36 +0000

From ideal to real

The aim of our Summit was to put lifelong learning centre stage by bringing together leaders from across adult education, community, social services, government and business to build a vision for lifelong learning in Australia.

Download our Summit discussion paper and Summit program for more details.

Presentations

Proudly sponsored by:

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Forum: The Financing Gap and the Challenges of achieving the goals for Women and Girls’ Education

sally — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 03:27:08 +0000

Details:

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) give us the framework to deal with global issues such as poverty, equitable access to education and social injustice. Goal number 5 addresses gender equality. Equal access to education that is blind to gender and social disadvantage has been identified as a priority for governments globally.

At the recent G20 meeting, Julia Gillard, GPE Chair, observed that “education financing is down”. This is alarming when 61 million girls continue to miss out on primary and lower-secondary school and 758 million adults lack any literacy skills; two-thirds of whom are women. If education is to contribute to addressing the urgent issues of poverty, conflict and climate change – what can be done to mobilise the will and resources needed to ensure the right of every person access to high quality affordable education and training ?’

Join us in a conversation that examines the causes and explores possible ways forward.

Panel:

Ms Alice Albright, Chief Executive Officer, Global Partnership for Education (GPE)
Representatives, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and EU Delegation (TBC)
Ms. Susan Hopgood, President, Education International

Location:

RMIT City Campus
Council Chamber, RMIT building 1, level 2(R)
124 La Trobe Street
Melbourne, VIC 3000

To register:

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/the-financing-gap-and-the-challenges-of-achieving-the-goals-for-women-and-girls-education-a-panel-tickets-36180512888

Co-organised by:

Adult Learning Australia (ALA), Women in Adult and Vocational Education (WAVE). Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education (ASPBAE), Pascal’s Friends Association (PIMA) and the Australian Coalition for Education and Development (ACED).

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Upcoming forum: Dhumbadha Munga – talking knowledge

sally — Sat, 25 Mar 2017 04:52:02 +0000

Friday 28th April 2017

#TKForum

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are the first nations people of this country and the oldest continuing culture in the world. Their knowledge goes back tens of thousands of years. They have complex and diverse cultures, each with their own unique histories, beliefs and values. As educators, an important part of offering culturally responsive learning opportunities is to better understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge, issues and perspectives.

Our dhumbadha munga or ‘talking knowledge’ forum will explore the ways Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders learn, develop and reinforce their cultural identity and express and share their stories.

Here is our Dhumbadha Munga program.

Guest speakers

Arweet Carolyn Briggs is the CEO of the Boon Wurrung Foundation, which connects Aboriginal youth to their heritage. She is a language and linguistics expert who started her own learning journey in a Neighbourhood House. Carolyn has been actively involved in Native Title, cultural preservation and cultural promotion. She is currently recording her Boon Wurrung language in oral and written form.

Di Borella is an Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander woman from Darwin. She is on the ALA Board and has strong expertise is cross cultural awareness. Di is committed to developing people’s awareness of and respect for the different value systems handed down in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, in relation to family, land, sea and heritage.

Date: Friday 28th April 2017

Time: 10:30 am – 12:45 pm

Location: Basement Theatre, Footscray Community Arts Centre, 45 Moreland Street, Footscray VIC 3011

Cost: Free to members / Non member $25.00 / Non member concession $20.00

Register now

Save

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Events Archives - Adult Learning Australia

Transforming education and training in Australia: challenges and opportunities

A hybrid policy forum

Forum program

A Fair Go for All? Report

Statement

Minister for Skills and Training, Brendan O’Connor video

Forum recording below

Forum speakers

2021 ALA Annual General Meeting with guest speaker 7 May @ 1pm AEST

Presentation: The role of adult education in women’s empowerment

About our presenter

Towards a Lifelong Learning Policy: The Forum

ALA summit: Towards a national lifelong learning policy for Australia

From ideal to real

Presentations

Forum: The Financing Gap and the Challenges of achieving the goals for Women and Girls’ Education

Details:

Panel:

Location:

To register:

Co-organised by:

Upcoming forum: Dhumbadha Munga – talking knowledge

Guest speakers

Sponsored by:

Register now