The Opportunity

The Office of the Pacific is seeking to appoint a Chair to lead the Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) Advisory Group.

The role of the APTC Advisory Group is to advise DFAT and APTC management on strategic matters, including ways to strengthen APTC outcomes and impact.

This unique and rewarding opportunity would be suited to a highly credentialled leader with executive experience in vocational education and training or industry, and a commitment to workforce skills development in the Pacific and labour mobility.

The Australia Pacific Training Coalition is an Australian development program, owned and governed by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). It is not a legal entity. Its services are implemented under a contract agreement between the Australian Government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Queensland Government, through TAFE Queensland.

The Role

The Chair will support a transition of the current APTC Advisory Board and Charter to an Advisory Group with a renewed Charter that focuses on positioning APTC to support economic recovery in the Pacific following COVID-19.

Reporting to and working closely with the Office of the Pacific, the Chair will foster collaborative problem solving, draw out strategic thinking and identify new opportunities to strengthen APTC outcomes and impact in the Pacific.

The Advisory Group

The current Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) Board was established to provide an independent and strategic sounding board to support and strengthen the APTC as the program transitioned from a training college to a training coalition. The Board advised on matters including labour mobility, market demand led training, sustainability and inclusion.

Each member of the Group is a highly respected and prominent leader in their own field and collectively they bring regional and local industry and labour market knowledge, TVET expertise and financial sustainability and development experience. All members are appointed based on their individual skills and experience not the organisations or constituencies they may be affiliated with.

APTC

The Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) is an Australian government skills development investment established in 2007. It works in partnership with industry, governments and selected Pacific TVET and Training institutions to assist the development of a more skilled, inclusive and productive workforce aligned with labour market requirements to enhance Pacific and Timor-Leste prosperity. Over the last 13 years, APTC has trained and graduated over 15,900 graduates with Australian qualifications including 6,400 women. Its services are implemented under a contract agreement between the Australian government via DFAT and TAFE Queensland. In 2020/2021, DFAT provided approximately $38.5m, demonstrating a commitment to re-skilling and up-skilling in response to economic recovery in the Pacific due to COVID-19. In 2021/2022, DFAT has allocated $38.5m to APTC.

The Successful Candidate

Our ideal candidate will have proven:

• Leadership skills

• Experience living and working in the Pacific region

• Experience as a Chair or Senior Member of an Advisory Group
• A contemporary understanding of global trends in the VET sector and changes in VET policy as a result of COVID-19

• Political awareness
• Consultative communication and interpersonal skills.

Qualifications

• Qualifications in education or business plus extensive relevant experience.

Further information can be found within the Applicant Information Pack, please download the attachment below.

Role Location and Travel

• The location of this role is flexible within the Australia - Pacific Region.
• Post COVID, this role may involve international travel throughout the Pacific Region.

Remuneration

Remuneration includes:

• A competitive day rate commensurate with experience.
• All costs to attend meetings are paid in accordance to DFAT’s travel policy.

Commitment and Tenure

• This position would require a time commitment of up to 4 days a month.
• The appointment of this role is for up to three years with a possibility of extension.

To apply:

For further information, please review the attached Applicant Information Pack (PDF).

For a confidential discussion, please contact Paula Cordier at Merit Solutions on +61 7 3220-1166 or email Paula on [email protected] using the subject line: Chair of the Australia Pacific Training Coalition Advisory Group enquiry via EthicalJobs.

To apply for this role, please provide the following:

• A resume which includes the contact details for two (2) referees.
• A covering letter of no more than 2 pages outlining why you would be successful in this role.