ACEVic Learn Local
Conference

 

Futurist, Business Advisor, Author and Speaker

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After completing postgraduate studies in foresight and future thinking, Simon worked in scenario planning and strategy development for the global mining company Rio Tinto.

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Since leaving corporate life and moving to Victoria in 2010, Simon has gone on to support dozens of organisations, deliver hundreds of keynotes, and speak to thousands of business leaders on how future thinking techniques can help them find better answers to their biggest and most pressing challenges.

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Over the last decade, Simon has worked with local councils throughout Victoria, as well as other government-related organisations across Australia and New Zealand. Simon holds a Master of Business Leadership, a Graduate Certificate in Future Studies, a Bachelor of Commerce, and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

 

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The Art of Future Thinking

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In today’s world of increasing uncertainty and rapid change, strategic foresight offers one of the best possible defences against reactive thinking. In this keynote, Simon Waller unveils the secrets of how futurists are trained to think beyond the present.

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Drawing on nearly two decades as a corporate futurist, he shares proven mindsets, practical tools, and techniques used to develop, explore, and engage others in future-focused thinking. If you're a leader navigating uncertainty and rapid change, this is a session not to be missed.

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Futurist, Business Advisor, Author and Speaker

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After completing postgraduate studies in foresight and future thinking, Simon worked in scenario planning and strategy development for the global mining company Rio Tinto.

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Since leaving corporate life and moving to Victoria in 2010, Simon has gone on to support dozens of organisations, deliver hundreds of keynotes, and speak to thousands of business leaders on how future thinking techniques can help them find better answers to their biggest and most pressing challenges.

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Over the last decade, Simon has worked with local councils throughout Victoria, as well as other government-related organisations across Australia and New Zealand. Simon holds a Master of Business Leadership, a Graduate Certificate in Future Studies, a Bachelor of Commerce, and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

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Workshop: Futurism Masterclass: From Signals to Strategy

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Led by Simon Waller, this interactive masterclass explores how futurists use the 'signals of change' around us to inform the strategic decisions leaders need to make.

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Drawing on his experience in scenario planning and strategy for global organisations such as Rio Tinto, as well as not-for-profits and local councils across Victoria, Simon brings expertise that is both relevant and immediately practical.

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Participants will leave with insights into some of the significant trends shaping the future of Adult and Community Education, and consider what these developments could mean for their organisation, learners and workforce. The session will provide practical insights to help leaders move beyond simply responding to change and instead identify opportunities to prepare, adapt and shape what comes next.

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Founder and Chief Learning Officer - Corporate Learning Australia

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Tania Tytherleigh believes learning should change what people do, not just what they know.

 

As founder and Chief Learning Officer at Corporate Learning Australia, Tania helps experts communicate what they know so that it gets heard and acted on. She also works with teachers and trainers, helping them bring more life to the content they simply have to teach.

 

Tania is on a mission to rid the world of boring learning! Her sessions are highly interactive, practical and never quite what people expect.

 

An experienced conference speaker and facilitator, she has presented at events in Australia and internationally on her favourite topic: learner engagement. Her work has been recognised with two LearnX Platinum Awards for Beyond the Numbers in 2025.

 

Away from work, Tania is an enthusiastic traveller and long-distance walker. She has walked the 800-kilometre Camino de Santiago across Spain in search of enlightenment. Instead, she found blisters, some unforgettable stories and life-long friendships along the way.

 

One day she’ll get around to writing the book!

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Secret Trainers Business: From Boring to Brilliant
 

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Every trainer has content they dread teaching but know they have to.

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It may be dry, repetitive, compulsory or simply difficult to bring to life. The content matters, but the learning experience can often feel dull.

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In this lively and practical session, participants will discover simple ways to create learning experiences that are memorable for all the right reasons.

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They will explore how to:

• build curiosity before the learning begins

• create a space where people feel ready to participate

• give even the driest content a creative makeover

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This will not be a session where participants sit and listen to ideas about engagement. They will experience the ideas, test them and apply them to real content from their own teaching.

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Participants will leave with three practical ideas they can use immediately.

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Hungry 4 Success Cafe and Catering 

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This session explores the journey of establishing Hungry 4 Success Café & Catering, from implementation through to opening the café and catering business. It highlights key milestones, challenges, and successes along the way, sharing practical insights into starting and growing a local enterprise.

 

Attendees will gain valuable lessons and inspiration to support their own organisations and community development journeys.

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ACFE Board Chairperson (acting)

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John has extensive governance and senior executive leadership experience in the tertiary and adult education sectors, including as Chief Executive Officer of Box Hill Institute, the Gordon Institute of TAFE and the CAE.

 

His governance experience as a non-executive director in the education sector includes the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority Board, Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) Board of Trustees, Deakin University Council, Monash University Faculty of Education Board, Innovation and Business Skills Australia, Australian Training Products and eCoach boards and was a member of the Victoria Polytechnic Vice Chancellor’s Advisory Committee at Victoria University.

 

John currently serves as a Director on the Board of TasTAFE and is Board Chair of Melbourne Central Basketball Association/Melbourne Tigers. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. 

 

He was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for volunteer services at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

 

In 2013, John was made a Member of the General Division of the Order of Australia for significant service to vocational education and training, and to the sport of basketball.

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ACFE Board Welcome

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Join John, acting chairperson of the ACFE Board as she welcomes attendees on behalf of the Board and shares a brief update. This session provides an opportunity to hear from the Board as part of its ongoing connection with the adult and community education sector.

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Trainer, governance and community leadership, Institute of Community Directors Australia

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Jon has a background as a teacher, trainer, social entrepreneur, filmmaker and writer. He began his career teaching at Melbourne's Northland Secondary College, where in 2000 he was awarded the Peter Clarke Teaching for Reconciliation Award based on his work with the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community at the school. He spent several years being mentored by and working alongside Gunditjmara artist and filmmaker Richard Frankland and together they developed a cross-cultural education program, Planting Seeds, which shone a light on the invisible load that Aboriginal communities in Australia have carried in the wake of colonisation.

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In 2008 Jon founded the not-for-profit youth media social enterprise Youthworx, which uses creative and commercial media to work with young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and he led the organisation until 2020 when he joined Our Community.

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The Resilient Leader: Leading Sustainably Through Change

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This session explores what it means to lead sustainably in a changing environment with increasing demands. It will look at how leaders can recognise the signs of burnout, build self-awareness, maintain resilience and create sustainable leadership practices that support both themselves and their teams over the long term.

 

The session offers practical strategies and suggestions to help leaders navigate change, manage competing demands and maintain their effectiveness without compromising their own wellbeing. Through group discussion and shared reflection, participants will have the opportunity to explore common leadership challenges, exchange ideas and consider practical approaches they can take back to their workplace.

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General Manager, FLC

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Tina is a dedicated and passionate education professional committed to making a positive difference in the lives of children, young people and marginalised individuals.

 

With more than 20 years’ experience across the education and community services sectors, she has worked in a range of roles within community education and the TAFE sector.

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Tina is currently General Manager at FLC, a successful Learn Local provider, where she brings her extensive experience and sector knowledge to supporting learners and delivering quality education and training opportunities.

 

Her diverse experience across the sector has given her a broad understanding of community education, training and the importance of creating positive outcomes for learners.

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Creating Opportunities: Say Yes, Build Connections and Make It Happen

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Tina Bampton, along with Donna Dowler from FLC and Workforce Australia, will share a practical example of how an opportunity can be turned into a meaningful program through relationships, collaboration and a willingness to give something new a go.

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Using a recent community employment project supporting women to build confidence, skills and pathways towards employment, the session will explore how connections were made, partnerships developed and challenges navigated along the way.

 

The broader message is simple: don’t wait for opportunities – create them. Attendees will leave with ideas and practical approaches they can take back to their own organisations and put into action.

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AI in the workplace - a practical example from a trainer

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This session, led by Katrina, a Learn Local trainer, explores the practical use of AI. Katrina integrates AI into her daily practice to streamline administrative tasks, reduce workload, and enhance the way she supports her students.

Participants will be taken through real-world examples of how AI tools can be used effectively in a Learn Local environment. 

Attendees will gain practical strategies to improve workplace efficiency and discover how AI can be embedded into teaching practice to better support diverse learner needs without increasing workload.

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