Recent projects

Food and Fibre Centre of Vocational Excellence

(CoVE)

Commenced September 2020

Engaged to establish the Food and Fibre CoVE as an operational entity by the Interim Governance Group.  CoVEs are one of the core structural changes being made through the Government’s wide sweeping Reform of Vocational Education.  Food and fibre was awarded one of the first CoVEs. 

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It based its proposal on establishing a ‘learner-focused, industry-led, government-enabled’ model and forging a partnership with Te Pūkenga, the newly formed NZ Skills Institute, to ensure excellence in provision for food and fibre’s current and future workforce.

Based around a collaboration of 54 organisations including industry associations, Māori, tertiary providers, employers, employees and standard setting bodies., the CoVE will deliver a wide range of projects and research to support attraction and retention, vocational education excellence and innovation in learning provision.

Project Lead: Arthur Graves

Work Pathways

Commenced July 2020

Contracted by the Department of Education, Skills and Employment, the aim of this project was to create an interactive Australian vocational job pathways tool by mapping the Year 9 to 12 curriculum to two pilot Skills Organisation industry areas, the Human Services Care and Mining sectors.

This project was scoped in response to recommendation 7.2 of the Strengthening Skills – Expert Review of Australia’s Vocational Education and Training System (Joyce Review) using the New Zealand Vocational Pathways model as a reference point.

Project Lead: Dean Minchington

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Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence: Education Strategy and Planning

Commenced December 2019

Engaged by Aboriginal Victoria (Department of Premier & Cabinet) to support the project partners (Rumbalara Football Netball Club, Kaiela Institute, University of Melbourne, Aboriginal Victoria) to collaboratively develop the Education Services Plan for MCRE.

This unique and innovative Indigenous-led project will see the establishment of a new centre in Yorta Yorta country in Shepparton focussed on and Aboriginal led and culturally centred and connected learning environment to support pathways from school through tertiary education into employment. 

Project Lead: Rick Ede

Work-Integrated Credentialing in the Social Services Sector.

Commenced July 2019  

Supported RMIT University and the Future Social Service Institute to develop and pitch successful proposals for pilots of new work-based learning & training models to the Victorian Government.

Supported development of cross-organisational capability to develop successful proposals to government, managed relationships with government and industry partners in support of RMIT senior executives, developed project governance and management protocols, wrote proposals, supported implementation as project director. 

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Project Lead: Rick Ede

Ka Tipu, Ka Rea: Seeds of Change

E kore au e ngaro, he kākano i ruia mai i rangiātea

Commenced June 2019

Engaged by Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Pi'ipi'inga Kākano Mai I Rangiātea to advise and support the development of a unique Kaupapa, a cultural bridge between mātauranga Māori, education and industry to guide Taranaki tauira (students) from learning to earning along STEAMID pathways. 

The objective is to develop sustainable pathways for students and whānau from kura (secondary school) to tertiary education and onto high value employment.  This is modelled on the hugely successful Alaska Native Science Engineering Programme (ANSEP).

Project Lead: Arthur Graves

Review of the Joyce report

Commenced February 2019

Commenced February 2019    

Engaged to conduct an in-depth review of the Strengthening Skills: Expert Review of Australia’s Vocational Education and Training System (Joyce Report)

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The focus of this review was to define the similarities as differences between what had been proposed in the report and the New Zealand Industry Training Model. As part of the review an operational model for a pilot Skills Organisation (as recommended as part of the Joyce Report) was developed.

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Project Lead: Dean Minchington