VET National Teaching & Learning Conference 2025: From Competence to Excellence – Taking the Journey
The VET Development Centre has a proud 20-year tradition of providing one of Australia’s leading teaching & learning conferences for Vocational Education and Training. The VET National Teaching & Learning Conference 2025 will be held in-person at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre on the 14 & 15 of August.
Description
The VET Development Centre has a proud 20-year tradition of providing one of Australia’s leading teaching & learning conferences for Vocational Education and Training. The VET National Teaching & Learning Conference 2025 will be held in-person at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre on the 14 & 15 of August.
The theme for this year’s Conference is ‘From Competence to Excellence – Taking the Journey’. At the core of this theme is the belief that learning should be a continuous process of improvement, where educators play a vital role in guiding learners towards excellence. This journey isn’t just about the outcome - it’s about fostering a mindset of growth, passion, and dedication to excellence at every step of the way.
Over 2-days there will be an array of professional learning opportunities with a focus on VET practitioners, as well as a stream of sessions featuring VET applied research for other VET Sector professionals.
- Keynote Speakers & Presentations
- Expert Panels, including World Skills Australia representatives
- Concurrent Teaching & Learning Workshops
- Applied Research Sessions
- Networking Function
Building on the successes of previous years, ‘From Competence to Excellence – Taking the Journey’ is designed for VET professionals to be empowered, celebrating and strengthening their own journey whilst taking learners and students on a journey of their own. Delegates will hear from high-profile keynote speakers, engage in a range of presentations and panel discussions, and attend concurrent interactive workshops, and research sessions; it is a perfect opportunity take the journey and network with colleagues from across Australia.
Together with stimulating and engaging Keynote speakers, another important part of the conference is the concurrent ‘Professional Learning Workshops’. These sessions, together with inspiring presentations, panel discussions and informative case studies, will reflect upon the fundamental aim of the Conference, empowering teachers and trainers from public, private and community providers to take the journey, enhancing the path from competence to excellence in education and employment outcomes for VET students.
EARLY BIRD FEE $575 (incl. GST) FOR REGISTRATION BEFORE 30 APRIL 2025
Don’t miss out on the Early Bird Fee
Tickets limited - REGISTER NOW
Ticket price from 1st May 2025: $660 (incl. GST); 10% discount for Group Bookings of 10 or more (available on standard ticket price from 01/05/2025)
Further speakers to be announced soon.
Conference MC
Chemène Sinson
Chemène specialises in education, learning and performance across various educational sectors, both within Australia and internationally.
Featuring Keynote Presentations
Andrew Douch: ‘Machine Smart, Human Sharp - The Excellence Equation: Teacher × AI = Educational Magic’
Andrew Douch is a Victorian presenter, teacher and educationalist. He helps teachers amplify their impact on student learning by inspiring new thinking about teaching effectively in today’s technology-rich world. He is also renowned for his engaging Biology revision lectures, podcasts and videos. Andrew’s ideas have been adopted by teachers at all levels of education across Australia and the world and have attracted numerous awards including a Prime Minister’s Award for Quality Schooling, a Victorian Education Excellence Award, The Microsoft Worldwide Innovative Teacher of the Year, an IMS Global Leadership Award and an Australian College of Educators World Teachers’ Day Award.
In today's rapidly evolving educational landscape, the gap between competence and excellence has never been more navigable. In this presentation Andrew will showcase ways AI tools can empower VET educators to transcend standard teaching practices and achieve truly exceptional outcomes. Discover practical strategies for leveraging AI to enhance creativity, personalize learning experiences, and automate routine tasks—freeing you to focus on what matters most: inspiring and motivating your students. Join us to explore how embracing AI as a partner in education can transform competent teaching into an art form that excites, engages, and elevates both educators and learners on their journey toward excellence.
Lisa McInnes-Smith: ‘We’ve All Got What It Takes, But Where Is It?’
Lisa McInnes-Smith is in the top echelon of commercial speakers, having presented live to more than 2.5 million people across 30 countries. She inspires and motivates, energises and entertains. She helps people to grow through her deposit of transforming truths, practical tools and skills that enable people to transform the way they do business and life.
Lisa is a dynamic force who electrifies the stage with her boundless energy and genuine passion for people. With a wealth of experience as a sports psychologist, she has honed practical tools and wisdom to empower individuals to elevate their performance and reach new heights. On a global scale, she is the first Australian inducted into the International Speaker Hall of Fame.
Tim Cope: 'Learning to Rush Slowly’
Tim Cope is a celebrated Australian adventurer and author renowned as much for his iconic journeys, as for championing the people of the lands he travels through. He is a model example of resilience, responsible risk-taking, and the importance of building strong relationships, but has also earned the unique title from National Geographic of ˜cultural ambassador. Tim passionately presents the case that there are crucial lessons to be learned by stepping outside the comfort zone of our social constructs and reassessing life through the lens of unfamiliar cultures. He believes that the experience of adventure remains important in our digital era, in part because of the human wisdom to be learned from lands and people different to our own.
The Odyssey: Tim is best known for his ambitious odyssey riding horses on the trail of Genghis Khan, 10,000km from Mongolia to Hungary across the great Eurasian Steppe. Australian Geographic billed this ‘one of the greatest journeys of modern times.’ At the beginning of the journey, Tim could barely ride a horse, but three and a half years later he made world headlines when he rode onto the banks of the Danube, along with his three horses and trusty canine companion, Tigon. To get there he had endured challenges that ranged from wolves and thieves to isolation in freezing steppe and searing deserts, social unrest and bureaucratic bungling. Nearing the end he received the tragic news of the sudden death of his father. Through it all Tim drew inspiration from the nomadic people of the steppe who offered friendship, wisdom, and extraordinary hospitality. They taught Tim how to have patience, resilience, to make friends with the unfamiliar, and to retain both a sense of humour, curiosity, humility, and humanity in the face of adversity.
Fiori Giovanni: 'How to reach for the stars, no matter what life throws at us’
Fiori’s extraordinary story is a route probably only a few other women in the world have travelled, but she tells it in a way that leaves her audience with the keys, tools, and attitudes that shape courage, resilience, real leadership and a shift in mindset. Courage to tackle the changes they’ve dreamt about but for which they fear failure, Resilience to overcome challenges, Leadership to envision and define their goals and Mindset to shift from a victim to a victor. In a nutshell, Fiori shares a potent formula that empowers others to overcome problems, both big and small.
All the above traits are something that Fiori has needed in massive amounts being born in a war-torn Africa and overcoming the challenge of a pubescent arranged marriage, and as a teenager being mandatorily subscripted into the army and clinging to life in a leaking boat loaded with refugees. She had the courage to survive and learn from these experiences to become a serial entrepreneur, a #1 best-selling author, media commentator, human rights activist, proud mother, and sought-after Keynote speaker. While she’d experienced pain and loss on a devastating scale already, the worst was yet to come. In 2020, the unimaginable happened. She lost her beloved seven-month and half old daughter, Illen. Fiori’s journey of grief led to her certification in Self-Directed Healing practitioner and Hypnotherapy Certificates. Throughout her colourful career, she has built up a bank of knowledge, information, life experiences and strategies and this wasn’t any different for her. Fiori is the perfect example of how life is not about what happens in your life, rather, how you manage it. And, how a mastered mind can be harnessed, during the good times and bad.
Mike Rolls: 'Uncovering Why Less, Really is More’
Mike Rolls is a leading authority in resilience. His extensive lived experience through adversity began at age 18 when he survived a deadly bout of Meningococcal Septicemia, which resulted in severe internal and external injuries, including multiple amputations. Given just a 5% chance of survival, Mike defied the odds, spending six months in the hospital and facing years of recovery. This life-changing event marked the start of an unexpected journey toward helping individuals and businesses manage their own challenges with greater efficiency and effectiveness.
His message, “Why Me? To What’s Next?” is a simple yet effective philosophy that underpins his work. This no-nonsense, practical approach is designed to help individuals tap into and unlock greater levels of resilience in both their personal and professional lives. Mike has a background in the health industry. He is a qualified Counsellor, a highly skilled communicator and a passionate supporter of amputee charity, Limbs 4 Life. He is an ambassador of Interplast Australia and New Zealand, Cobra Puma Golf, Ossur Australia, and has represented Australia in All Abilities Golf.
Presentations & Workshops
Another important part of the program is the Professional Learning Workshops and Presentations by a range of highly regarded presenters including:
- Toby George Jones: Making AI Work: Turning Hype into Practical Action
- Dr Adam Bignold: Victorian & Australian Teacher/Trainer of the Year 2024
- Emma Rice: Fostering Inclusion: Student Voices
- Leigh Dwyer: The use of AI to support teaching practices & curriculum design in adult & vocational education
- Dr Tabatha Griffin: Effective teaching and learning: teacher perspectives on what works best for whom
- Upekha Andrahannadi: Effective student support: enabling the learner journey
- Kent Martin, Jeanette Swain & Vicki Saray: Transforming Health & Community Education Through Flipped Learning
- Lisa Piller: Sustainability: Innovation & Systems Change towards Circularity in Textiles & Clothing
- Sam Crowe: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Educator Empowerment
- Michele Tocci: Create a Journey of Excellence: How Communication Shapes Learning and Success
- Jillian West: Cultural Awareness
- Claire Field: Teaching for Tomorrow: The Future of Work and the Evolution of VET
- Kevin Ekendahl, Matthew Dale, Aimee Yow & Julie van Belkom: The Future of Inclusive VET: Strategies for Supporting Diverse Learners
Further speakers to be advised
Speakers, Panel discussions and further research presentations, will provide insights on how VET providers and trainers can effectively support and engage students, harnessing opportunities on their journey.
Venue & Accommodation
MELBOURNE CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE (MCEC)
Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country
2 Clarendon Street
South Wharf, Victoria 3006
MCEC is a Melbourne icon. Located in the vibrant South Wharf precinct, just a walk along the Yarra River to Southbank, the Arts precinct and the CBD. Getting to MCEC is easy. Stroll along the river from Melbourne’s city centre, catch a tram or train to the venue doorstep, or drive into one of several onsite secure car parks.
Novotel Melbourne South Wharf stands proudly in one of Melbourne's oldest locations, the historic South Wharf promenade. The hotel is complemented with direct access to MCEC. For those in need of some retail therapy, the hotel is adjacent to the DFO centre, with 180 plus retail brands. A short walk from the hotel is Seafarers Bridge, connecting you to Marvel Stadium, Southern Cross Station and the city centre.
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To enquire about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Sandra Ball, Chief Operating Officer via sball@vdc.edu.au