Polly Bennett

Chair

Polly has over twenty-five years of senior executive leadership experience, as well as a comprehensive understanding of government structures and frameworks at federal, state and local government levels. She brings valuable insights and perspective into program development, delivery, evaluation and marketing in the public and private sectors.

Polly’s previous roles include those of Chief Executive Officer of both the Australian Lot Feeders Association and NSW Food Authority, as well as senior positions within the NSW Government.

Her additional experience spans leadership roles at the NSW Department of Primary Industries, Caltex, Sydney Ports Corporation, ACT Urban Services and Savage Resources.

She has worked in close collaboration with industry, government, universities and education providers to assess industry needs in order to develop and deliver effective and accessible training packages for food safety and grain-fed beef production. Polly has represented both industry and government on National COAG committees and state and industry bodies.

Polly has a Bachelor of Economics degree, is an Executive Fellow of the Australian New Zealand School of Government and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Her corporate affairs expertise is an enormous asset to the Board of SkillsIQ.

Latest News

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Webinar - Introduction to Skills Literacy

In the first webinar of the six-part series, Yasmin King will join our series host Dr. Mark Keough to discuss the basics of skills literacy, including: What does skills literacy mean? Why do people have difficulty understanding and defining their own skills? And how can skills literacy lead to better career outcomes?

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CEDA - Opinion Article

Much of our workforce training is compliance-focused and not aimed at upskilling our workers. Without systems to track and recognise informal, formal, and self-directed learning, employees are having to repeat training unnecessarily. This highlights the need to embrace open recognition and use AI-powered skills recognition systems like SkillsAware to validate real skills in the workforce, if we want to address the issue of productivity.

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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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