Ian Blandthorn AM

Board Member

In 2014 Ian was made a member of the Order of Australia “for significant service to workforce development and training in the retail, wholesale and personal services industries”.

Ian is a:

  • Board member of SkillsIQ.

  • National Assistant Secretary of Shop Distributive and Employees Association (S.D.A.).

  • Member of ACTU Executive.

  • Chair of National Wholesale, Retail and Personal Services Industry Training Council.

  • Board member and former Chair of Victorian Service Skills Industries Ltd.

  • Former Chair and Board member of Service Skills Australia.

  • Former Joint Chairperson of the National Wholesale Retail and Personal Services Industry Advisory Committee of Service Skills Australia.

  • Former Chair of National Industry Reference Groups responsible for the re-development the Retail, Wholesale, Community Pharmacy, Hairdressing, Beauty and Floristry Training Packages.

  • Former member of State Training Board of Victoria.

  • Former President and Member of Flagstaff College of TAFE Council.

  • National Assistant Secretary of Shop Distributive and Employees Association (S.D.A.).

  • Director and Board member of Retail Employees Superannuation Trust (REST).

  • Member of REST Member and Employer Services Committee, Marketing Committee and Tax Planning Committee.

  • Member of Essendon (AFL) football club.

Ian has a BA (Hons) and is married to Anne with three children and one grandchild.

Latest News

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Discover the Power of Pre-Identified Skills with SkillsAware

Are you a Training Provider looking for innovative ways to engage your students from the outset and boost your enrolments? Join Co-Founders Dr Mark Keough and Yasmin King for a special webinar during National Skills Week to explore how human-centerd, AI-powered SkillsAware can revolutionise the student learning journey.

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Outdoor Industry Summit

2025 Outdoor Industry Summit in Canberra for the session ‘Skills Recognition for Employers/ Employees.’ Yasmin King, CEO, SkillsIQ, explored how organisations can take advantage of AI to discover talent and how shifting the focus from qualifications to skills can help build a human-centered workforce.

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VET Research Conference ‘No Frills’

National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) VET Research Conference ‘No Frills’ co-hosted with TAFE Queensland. Melinda Brown, General Manager, SkillsIQ, presented how technological solutions can be adapted and integrated into existing systems to validate individuals' capabilities and experience in the workforce.

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