A Successful Gathering: Advancing Skills and Innovation in the Food, Fibre & Timber Industries

We are excited to share the success of the Advancing Skills and Innovation in the Food, Fibre & Timber Industries Forum, held recently at the vibrant Aloft Hotels in Rivervale. The forum saw a fantastic turnout and high levels of engagement from professionals, educators, and stakeholders across the vocational education and training (VET) sector, all committed to shaping a stronger future for these critical industries.

The day began with an opening address by Gordon Duffy, Director of the Office of the State Training Board, who outlined key priorities for State VET policies. The Director’s remarks reinforced the importance of state-wide stakeholder engagement in identifying industry workforce and training needs.

The forum offered valuable insights across three major themes, the new Training Package Organising Framework (TPOF), Revised Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), and Training Delivery in Regional, Remote and Rural Areas.

The New Training Package Organising Framework

This session examined both the opportunities and challenges associated with the new framework, highlighting key issues such as:

• Concerns regarding the revised format for developing competency standards;

• The pressing need for clear and consistent guidelines to promote alignment and cohesion across the VET sector during implementation; and

• A strong demand for professional development to ensure practitioners are equipped with the necessary tools to deliver high-quality, industry-relevant training.

The session highlighted the importance of nation-wide stakeholder engagement and consensus building as we move toward revised training structures and standards.

Revised Standards for Registered Training Organisations

The conversation around revised RTO standards highlighted the sector’s shared commitment to quality assurance, accountability, and improved learner outcomes. Attendees supported more practical and innovation-friendly standards and strongly advocated for implementation support and resourcing to ensure effective rollout across all RTOs.

Training Delivery in Regional, Remote, and Rural Areas

Ensuring equitable access to training was a key focus of the forum, particularly for the regional, remote and rural communities that underpin the food, fibre, and timber industries. Discussions highlighted critical challenges such as infrastructure shortfalls, funding constraints, limited market access for private RTOs, and the pressing need for flexible, locally responsive delivery models.

A highlight of the session was the engaging expert panel discussion, which brought together diverse perspectives from across the VET and training sectors:

• Steve Hayes – RTO, Subject Matter Expert

• Doug Hall – Consultant

• Geoff Barbaro – Skills Insight

• Helen Hull – North Regional TAFE

• Ben Dahlstrom – Skill Hire

• Amanda Barrett – Independent Tertiary Education Council of Australia (ITECA)

The panel explored the practical challenges of delivering training in regional, remote, and rural areas, identifying key barriers such as restrictive funding models, limited housing and childcare options, lecturer shortages, and, to some extent, industrial relations constraints. Panelists shared innovative, community-led solutions aimed at overcoming these obstacles, sparking valuable discussion on how to better support training providers and learners in underserved communities.

A Heartfelt Thank You

We extend our sincere thanks to everyone who attended, contributed, and made the forum a success. Your ideas, energy, and collaboration are essential to building a more resilient and forward-thinking VET system.

As we move forward, we remain committed to working together to ensure the food, fibre, and timber industries are supported by a skilled, capable, and future-ready workforce.

For further information, please contact our CEO Tony Palladino tony@fftitc.com.au