ORGANISING COMMITTEE



Dr Steven Hodge, Griffith University  

Steven Hodge is President of the Australasian Vocational Education and Training Association (AVETRA) and the Chair of the organising committee for AVETRA 21. He is a key contributor to debate in Australian post-compulsory education. His major analysis of policy in this space was recently published by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). He is on the editorial team for the International Journal of Lifelong Education and International Journal of Training Research and member of the Australian Council of Deans of Education (ACDE) Vocational Education Group. Steven is a member of the Griffith Institute for Educational Research (GIER) and of the School of Education and Professional Studies at Griffith University, where he is Director of the Master of Education and Graduate Certificate in Professional Learning programs.

Dr Lizzie Knight, Victoria University

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Knight joined the Centre for International Research on Education Systems (CIRES) as a research fellow in 2020. Her research areas include provision of career information, higher vocational education, transitions to tertiary education, the nature of graduate employment and employability. A key area of interest is equity of access to and in tertiary education, the provision of institutional information and support for transition into post-school education. In 2017, Lizzie completed a PhD at Monash University, investigating change in marketing messages over the period of higher education massification. Prior to joining CIRES, Lizzie was a research fellow at Monash University. She also serves as Secretary for AVETRA.


Kira Clarke, Brotherhood of St Laurence  

Kira joined the Research and Policy Centre at the Brotherhood of St Laurence in February 2020 as a Senior Research Fellow. Kira has more than fifteen years of experience in academic research and teaching in the Australian university sector. Until December 2019, she was a Lecturer in Education Policy within the Melbourne Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne. As a university researcher (January 2004 – December 2019), she completed more than 35 grant-funded and commissioned research projects.

Craig Robertson, TAFE Directors Australia

Craig Robertson commenced as CEO of TAFE Directors Australia (TDA) in April 2017.  The organisation promotes nationally and internationally the critical role that TAFEs play in tertiary education in Australia.  On behalf of its members, TDA also works with global multi-lateral organisations, and with overseas governments and their industry and provider representatives to assist in the deployment of training and workforce development to enhance economic capabilities. Prior to joining TDA, Craig worked in the Victorian Government in 2015 and 2016 with responsibilities for the operation of vocational education and working with Victorian universities.


Linda Simon, Women in Adult & Vocational Education 

Linda Simon is the National Convenor at Women in Adult and Vocational Education and has been a teacher in schools, TAFE and now at university. She currently teaches in adult education at Charles Sturt University. She was Secretary of the TAFE Teachers Association for over fifteen years, and Federal TAFE President of the Australian Education Union for six years. She has served on the Board of NCVER and on BVET in NSW, and is an educationalist and researcher committed to equity and public education.


Dr Stuart Middleton

Professor Emeritus Stuart Middleton has recently retired from a 52-year career in education working in both secondary and tertiary sectors and in a variety of sectors. He has been the holder of various awards among them a Fulbright New Century Scholar Award and a Commonwealth Scholar’s Award. He received two QANTAS Media Awards for his writing columns on social issues and in 2010 he received a ONZM for his work in Education. His noted contribution to the VET sector was his pioneering development of a Secondary Tertiary High School from which a category of programme, Secondary Tertiary Programmes, emerged to manage the development of trades academies through out New Zealand. 

Keiko Yasukawa, University of Technology Sydney 

Keiko Yasukawa is a lecturer and researcher in the School of International Studies and Education. Her work focuses on adult education, literacy and numeracy. 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. Keiko is a member of the Australian Council of Dean's Vocational Education Group. Keiko has had a long and active involvement in the National Tertiary Education Union at the Branch, Division and National levels.


Phil Loveder, NCVER

Phil Loveder is the Executive Manager, Inform & Engage at the The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), the national professional body responsible for collecting, managing, analysing and communicating research and statistics on the Australian vocational education and training (VET) sector. He is responsible for executive management of NCVER's stakeholder engagement, knowledge management and digital publishing and communications capabilities and functions.

AVETRA

AVETRA 21 is organised by the Australasian Vocational Education and Training Research Association (AVETRA),  with the support of FineHaus

Telephone

Urgent event queries: FineHaus 
+61 3  9014 9578

Email

Conference Chair
Steven Hodge

Conference Administration
FineHaus

AVETRA Website

www.avetra.org.au