Literacy for Life Foundation Executive Director, Professor Jack Beetson, has been appointed to the newly established Jobs and Skills Australia Ministerial Advisory Board.
Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) was formed by the Australian Government to provide independent advice regarding workforce, skills and training needs.
Minister for Skills and Training, Brendan O’Connor, announced the make-up of the Ministerial Advisory Board earlier today.
“I warmly welcome all the appointees; their experience and insights will be invaluable as we work proactively together in the spirit of tripartism.”
“The appointees all bring extensive experience and I am confident they will execute their duties with impartiality and diligence,” said Minister O’Connor.
To learn more about the Ministerial Advisory Board and the functions of Jobs and Skills Australia please visit the Jobs and Skills Australia website.
The site includes biographies detailing the skills and experience of all the appointed Board members. Professor Jack Beetson’s short bio is reproduced below:
Professor Jack Beetson is a Ngemba Aboriginal man from Western NSW who has been involved in Indigenous education in Australia and internationally for over 30 years. He is Executive Director of Literacy for Life Foundation, an Aboriginal organisation focussed on lifting adult literacy levels as a path to achieving improvements in employment, training, health and children’s education. He is also Chair of Just Reinvest NSW, supporting community-led solutions to Aboriginal over imprisonment.
Professor Beetson left school at an early age but returned to education and became one of the first Indigenous Australians to complete a university degree in adult education. He has represented Indigenous peoples at the United Nations (UN) and received an honour from the UN for his work. In 2019, he became the first Indigenous Australian inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame. (Source: JSA Website)