2022 National ACE Summit

To reinforce the value and importance of Australian adult and community education (ACE) providers in delivering essential training and skills that support national educational, social, employment and economic development goals.

The Summit addressed the following questions:

• What is the legacy impact of COVID-19 on Australian VET and community education?
• How can Australian ACE providers re-engage missing and dis-engaged vulnerable and disadvantaged adult learners?
• What’s next for foundation skills?

Almost 150 participants joined CCA's online 2022 National ACE Summit, which worked to broaden the knowledge of the national ACE sector, explored emergent themes and examined capacity building for the sector. It showcased selected innovative community-based programs and pathways that can assist governments and communities. The 2022 Summit followed on from CCA’s 2021 National ACE Summit.

The 2022 ACE Summit was held online on the morning of Tuesday 5 April 2022 and broadcast through Delegate Connect. (We recommend using Google Chrome as your browser when viewing the broadcast site.)

CCA organised the Summit to enhance the capacity of Australia's ACE sector to deliver results for building the skills base of Australian communities, battered by two years of COVID-19. The ACE sector has unrealised potential and capacity to contribute to ameliorating Australia’s skills shortfall, particularly in the aged, disability and child care sectors, as well as in foundation skills and supporting small businesses. The Summit focussed on how we can use experiences from the COVID-19 pandemic to inform the path forward.

The Summit heard from Australian thought leaders and provided an opportunity for national and state skills political leaders to outline their visions for the Australian ACE sector. View the program line-up here. Featured presentations and panel discussions looked at:

• how state and national ACE strategies can address training challenges in a pandemic world to meet current and future workforce needs and support economic recovery;
• foundation skills – language, literacy, numeracy and digital skills – to assist both unemployed and employed adult learners to study effectively and to empower their lives in a rapidly digitised world; and
• strategies for how the ACE sector can undertake outreach to re-engage vulnerable and disadvantaged learners, including people with a disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, migrants and refugees, people from lower socio-economic backgrounds and those who have difficulty accessing online education and training.

The Summit also examined the importance of enabling digital inclusion: to close the “digital divide” and improve digital literacy to enable disadvantaged adults to participate  in social and economic activities and to access essential health and community information.

Summit speakers (view speaker details):

• The Hon Stuart Robert MP, Commonwealth Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business - view his speech here (1'15").
  
• The Hon Alister Henskens MP SC, New South Wales Minister for Skills and Training & Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology - view his speech here (5'09").
• The Hon Gayle Tierney MP, Victorian Minister for Training and Skills & Minister for Higher Education - view her speech here (5'47").
  
• The Hon Blair Boyer MP, South Australian Minister for Education, Training and Skills, in his first national appearance after the election of the South Australian Labor Government in March.
• Dr Cassandra Goldie, CEO of Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) and Adjunct Professor, UNSW Sydney, who discussed the ACOSS/UNSW report COVID, inequality and poverty in 2020 & 2021: How poverty and inequality were reduced in the COVID recession and increased during the recovery.
• Mary Faraone, World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics (WFCP) Board member, Chair of TAFE Directors Australia and CEO of Holmesglen Institute (VIC), who spoke on "Return to training: Education, training and skills strategies to speed up economic and social recovery – an international perspective", based on the WFCP first ever “Global Statement”.
  
• The Hon Fiona Nash, Australian Government Regional Education Commissioner, and former Minister for Regional Development & Regional Communications, who spoke about implementation of the Napthine and Halsey regional education reviews.
• Jane Ward, Executive Director, Higher Education and Workforce Division; and Desh Balasubramaniam, Manager, Learner Pathways Unit, VIC Department of Education and Training, who spoke on the Reconnect Program, which supports Victorians to overcome barriers preventing them from engaging in education, training and employment and provides support into further study or employment pathways. Download a copy of their presentation here.
• Nicole Battle, CEO of Neighbourhood Houses Victoria & President of Australian Neighbourhood House and Centres Association (ANHCA); Kylie Fergusen, CEO of Community Centres SA; and Dr Don Perlgut, CEO Community Colleges Australia, who discussed opportunities for implementing learner re-engagement strategies in Australian ACE education and training.
• Dave Tout, Senior Research Fellow, Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER); Dr Keiko Yasukawa, University of Technology Sydney (UTS); Vanessa Iles, Manager, The Reading Writing Hotline; and Jo Medlin, President, Australian Council for Adult Literacy (ACAL), who formed a dynamic panel on foundation skills.
• Liz Jones, Director of Partnerships and Growth, Good Things Foundation Australia, who discussed digital inclusion.
• Angela Angelopoulos, Education & Employment Programs Coordinator; and Rae Jamieson, Coordinator Reconnect Programs, Jesuit Social Services (JSS), who spoke about the successful JSS experience as a Reconnect Program provider.
• David Mackay, Chair of Community Colleges Australia (and CEO of TLK Community College), who provided the opening welcome and "scene setting" for the Summit.
• Theresa Collignon, Deputy Chair of Community Colleges Australia (and CEO of Macquarie Community College), who gave the Summit's closing remarks.
• Uncle Allen Madden, Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council, who provided the "Welcome to Country" to Gadigal Land.

Summit Chair was Frier Bentley, Director, Amalgamate Communications (& former National Manager, Government Relations, The Smith Family), who chaired the 2021 ACE Summit.

View videos of selected Summit sessions.

From the speakers

“The Summit continues to provide a valuable national forum for the Adult Community Education (ACE) sector in Australia to discuss emerging issues and find solutions for its learners.” – The Hon Gayle Tierney MP, Victorian Minister for Training and Skills & Minister for Higher Education

“Very well organised with an impressive range of inspiring and knowledgeable speakers. Nice to be part of discussions that explore educational issues more deeply. Heartening to see the interest from State and Federal Ministers in community education. Great to see the innovative education that is happening in the community.” – Vanessa Iles, Manager, Reading Writing Hotline.

“The Summit offered an opportunity to explore ideas with a range of colleagues and raise important issues – a pleasure and honour to be involved.” – Jo Medlin, President, Australian Council for Adult Literacy (ACAL)

“Very informative with great guest speakers who shared their views on the importance of education and training and improving the lives of our most vulnerable and disadvantaged learners in the community.” - Angela Angelopoulos and Rae Jamieson, Education and Employment Programs, Jesuit Community College & Social Services

From the attendees

“The panel sessions were great, gave a varied outlook on the same topic with practical application.”

“Great balance of speakers and topics including insights into different state and federal perceptions of the field.”

“The foundation skills panel of Vanessa Iles, Dr Keiko Yasagawa and particularly Jo Medlin’s framing of LLN being multimodal and new literacy demands affecting us – a philosophical shift which moves shame and stigma – was revolutionary.

“Interesting and thought provoking.”

“Current and relevant updates and ideas.”

“Great for awareness raising.”

“New ideas to think through.”

“Thought provoking.”

• “CCA proposes outreach program to re-engage disadvantaged learners impacted by COVID-19”, 9 March 2022, by Dr Don Perlgut, reprinted by Campus Review  on 21 March 2022.
• Don't take it as read: Inquiry into adult literacy and its importance, Parliamentary Committee Report issued 22 March 2022.
• “The Pandemic is Not Over – What this Means for Education Providers,” by Dr Don Perlgut 15 March 2022.
• CCA CEO Dr Don Perlgut’s article on “Will Omicron devastate Australian vocational education and training in 2022?”, 6 January 2022.
• CCA’s proposed two initiatives to support training and development in Australia’s hard-pressed aged care workforce sector, 2 December 2021.
• “National vocational education and training student numbers report in COVID year one”, the CCA report, Australian Vocational Education and Training Students 2020: Breakdown by Provider Type, 15 September 2021.
• Watch the recordings of the June 2021 National ACE Summit speakers.
• 2021 National ACE Summit Foundation Skills Resolutions (PDF).

Help us promote this Summit; use the hashtag #ACESummit2022 in communications and social media.

Acknowledgement of Country: While the 2022 ACE Summit was a virtual event, the “headquarters” of the ACE Summit was on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, the location of CCA’s main office in the Sydney CBD. CCA acknowledges their Elders, past, present and emerging.