The BIG Skills Conference was hosted by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, on behalf of the Australian Government.

It was the first major national conference on skills and training hosted at the Federal level in recent times, and was supported by many organisations and individuals involved in tertiary training and education.

The Conference brought together major national and international players with an interest in skills and training to debate issues, think differently and stimulate change in the Australian tertiary sector.

Our aims were to:

• Challenge conventional wisdom and get people to think differently about skills for the future in Australia and the wider Asia-Pacific 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; and
• Provide opportunities for professional development and learning.

The themes addressed included:

• 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 professionals and practitioners

The conference was attended by:

• People from industry and business – company executives, professional associates, members of industry skills councils and advisory boards, employers, unionists, human resource specialists;
• Tertiary sector professionals and practitioners - public and private training providers from vocational education and training institutions and universities; senior executives, managers, planners, human resource personnel 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.

Proudly supported by...

• ACPET
• Australian Flexible Learning Framework
• Group Training Australia
• Industry Skills Councils
• Skills Australia
• TDA
• TVET Australia

Special thanks to all colleagues who assisted with the creation of the conference program.