New chair to guide next Victorian Skills Authority Advisory Board

The Hon. Jenny Macklin AC has been appointed as the new chair of the Victorian Skills Authority Advisory Board.

Ms Macklin will join a refreshed advisory board membership, comprising representatives with diverse skillsets, expertise and experience from across industry, unions and the vocational education and training sectors. Membership has a 64% female and 36% male gender balance.

Ms Macklin was a long-serving senior Commonwealth Government minister, and was the architect of the 2020 Skills for Victoria’s Growing Economy Review(opens in a new window) that resulted in the establishment of the Victorian Skills Authority in July 2021.

She will guide the advisory board to provide independent advice to the government and the VSA on making training more accessible, and developing the pipeline of skilled workers to meet Victoria’s future social and economic priorities.

The advisory board includes deputy co-chairs Paul Guerra, Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Luke Hilakari, Secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Council.

In addition to Mr Guerra and Mr Hilakari, reappointed advisory board members are:

The advisory board appointments became effective from 31 October 2024, following an open and transparent recruitment process, conducted by an independent specialist executive and board recruitment agency.

Appointments were approved by the Victorian Government’s Cabinet members.

Read more about the role of the advisory board(opens in a new window).