This morning there was a great interview on the radio with Jennifer Westacott, Business Council of Australia chief executive Jennifer Westacott, and look forward to her presenting at our Nexttech Transformation Forum.

There is an opportunity to ride the wave of lifelong learning . 

Massive value for little or no cost – a formula that sits well with me! 

It is abundantly clear – that there are  significant challenges and disruption that we as a nation are facing from the changing nature of work, increasing automation, the decline of some traditional industries, and proliferation of others.

There is a Nexttech Revolution going on – where opportunities will abound – and education for all has a fundamentally important role  for our economy to survive and thrive.

Jennifer highlighted chefs and jobs in construction, telecommunications, technology, healthcare, aged care and disability services are all vocational training qualified jobs and they will all be in high demand.

Our society needs to be learner centered, embracing the  multiple styles of learning, and values practical, creative and emotional intelligence as equal to academic intelligence.

Australia has  the opportunity to be at the forefront of lifelong learning 

Australia has a fantastic foundation of its Higher Education – both with its Universities and its Vocational Education Infrastructure, giving every Australian the opportunity to upskill and embrace lifelong learning.

We as a nation have the opportunity to embrace the concept of life-long learning – enabling us to ride the wave of the 4th revolution and ensure progress for all.

Support from Government , Institutions and Private Enterprise 

A spokeswoman for the Victorian government said it welcomed moves to bring businesses, workers and all levels of government together to rebuild the economy.

“Building a stronger training and skills sector, that upskill and reskill our nation , will be central to rebuilding our economy over the coming years “

Scott Morrison said he was “very interested and very committed to investing more in a better system” 

We at Nexttech, BSI and BBG look forward to playing a prt in the initiative of bringing lifelong learning into the DNA of every Australian Citizen

So, who is Jennifer Westacott?

Jennifer has been Chief Executive of the Business Council of Australia since 2011, bringing extensive policy experience in both the public and private sectors. 

For over 20 years Jennifer occupied critical leadership positions in the New South Wales and Victorian governments. 

She was  Director of Housing and the Secretary of Education in Victoria, and most recently was the Director-General of the New South Wales Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources.

Jennifer has long argued that

Jennifer believes it creates the single biggest platform to reduce inequality.

For our economy and nation to survive and thrive , Jennifer suggests we embrace Continuous Learning .