NSW Skills Board
The NSW Skills Board provides independent advice to the NSW government on how best to meet the skills and training needs of NSW individuals, industry, regions and the economy. The Board provides independent, high level, strategic advice on the vocational education and training system in NSW.
The NSW Skills Board was established under the .
Membership
Members of the NSW Skills Board are appointed by the Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø and NSW Cabinet. They have been selected for their sound knowledge of skills and higher education, high-level experience of market operations, and strong understanding of financial, risk and project management.
The current members of the Board are:
Managing Director of The Stable Group
Jillian Kilby is an Australian Sir John Monash Scholar holding a degree in Civil Engineering (Sydney University), and an MBA and Public Policy Masters (Stanford University). She is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers Australia and Graduate of the ACID.
Jillian has experience in engineering, project management, consulting, facilitation, and economic development in Australia and the USA. She holds a number of roles, including a Board member of the Australian Public Policy Institute, Member of the USYD Faculty of Engineering Industry Advisory Board, Managing Director of The Stable Group and Founder of The Exchange. Jillian was the 2018 NSW/ACT Rural Woman of The Year and is an advocate for people in the regions.
CEO of Health & Safety Advisory Service Pty Ltd (HSAS)
Robyn is the CEO of HSAS, a privately owned RTO since its inception in 2005, with RTO campuses located in outer Western Sydney.
HSAS is a niche market training provider for a wide range of key civil, tunnel, rail, air and water NSW infrastructure projects, including Port Botany Expansion, Northwest Rail Link, Sydney Water, NorthConnex, WestConnex, Sydney Metro, Parramatta Light Rail Western Sydney Airport, Sydney Football Stadium Redevelopment and Schools at the Meadowbank ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø and Employment Precinct.
Robyn maintains strong links with tier-one contractors and state regulators to remain at the forefront of implementing industry best practice training models across the breadth of government-funded projects.
Prior to this, Robyn worked in TAFE NSW as a faculty teacher and moved into various corporate state-wide marketing and training consultancy positions with TAFE Plus. Other educational roles included a range of rural, regional, community and outreach programs across the early childhood, school aged, sport and recreation and higher education sectors.
Chartered Accountant, CEO and Executive Director of Bell Direct
Arnie Selvarajah is a Chartered Accountant and an Executive with a multi-industry experience. He is currently the CEO and Executive Director of Bell Direct, Australia’s fastest growing online broker utilising innovative technology to create a unique service model.
He has experience in transforming traditional business models to leverage digital opportunities and applying technology to lift customer satisfaction. Arnie was a General Manger for Commonwealth Bank Local Business Banking as he led the NSW and ACT team in transformation of the Local Business Banking unit, encompassing 140 staff and $105 million in annual revenue.
He was previously CEO and Finance Director of Food Service Associates, and Vice President in Strategy of Bankers Trust Funds Management.
Executive Board member at Laing O'Rourke Australia
Annabel has more than 22 years’ experience in the construction industry and is an experienced director, general counsel, and company secretary.
Over the last 15 years, Annabel has held several leadership positions at Laing O’Rourke Australia, becoming the first female member of the Australian Executive Committee in June 2018.
Annabel was elected as the first female President of the Australian Constructors Association in November 2022, after four years as a SteerCo member and Industry Lead of the Construction Industry Leadership Forum (CILF).
Annabel is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (2014), completed her MBA at the AGSM (2011), and Bachelor of Laws from UNSW (1998).
Annabel also holds external Directorship roles in the not-for-profit sector.
Director of Industry Growth Program for the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre Limited (AMGC)
Alan Lipman is the Director of Industry Growth Program for the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre Limited (AMGC). AMGC contracts with Government to help implement policy in relation to small to medium enterprises involved in manufacturing. Alan has extensive experience working across different sectors in Australian manufacturing, including healthcare, medical device, advanced manufacturing, precision engineering, and contract manufacturing.
He was previously the Chair of K Care Healthcare Equipment, the Consumer Advocacy Panel (which was part of the Australian Energy Market Commission) and the NSW Smart Meter Task Force.
CEO and Co-founder of Hireup
Jordan O’Reilly is the co-founder of Hireup, an online platform that gives Australians with disability the power to find, hire and manage their own personal care support team. As the leading support platform for people with disability and their families in Australia, Hireup supports 10,000 clients annually and employs a similar number of support workers.
Previously, Jordan co-founded Fighting Chance, an award-winning not-for-profit organisation which creates social enterprise solutions to some of the most pressing challenges in the disability sector. Mr O’Reilly recently served on the Westpac Stakeholder Advisory Council and is an Advisory Board member for the NSW Public Service Commission.
For a career spent building organisations and enterprises that empower people with disability and their families, Jordan has been awarded numerous honours, including the Westpac Social Change Fellowship, the EY Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, and the Queen's Young Leaders Medal.
NSW Skills Board Reform
As a NSW Skills Plan priority to reform skills and industry governance, the Board is refreshing its membership to improve its ability to provide expert and representative advice to the NSW Government.
Applications to join the NSW Skills Board have now closed. The new Chair of the board and multiple members will be appointed from 1 July 2026.
Functions
The NSW Skills Board advises the NSW Government on how best to meet the skills and training needs of NSW individuals, industry, regions and the economy. The Board provides independent, high level, strategic advice on the vocational education and training system in NSW.
The functions of the Board, as set out under section 6 of the Skills Board Act 2013 include:
- to provide the Minister with an independent, strategic perspective on the vocational education and training system in New South Wales
- to oversee major reform of the vocational education and training system in New South Wales and its implementation, including reform that maintains the TAFE Commission as the major provider of vocational education and training, accessible across New South Wales
- to monitor and advise the Minister on the performance of the vocational education and training system in New South Wales, including financial performance, fiscal sustainability, levels of training activity and the achievement of State priorities
- to advise the Minister on the allocation of State and Commonwealth vocational education and training funding and the New South Wales vocational education and training budget
- to collect and analyse labour market intelligence, in particular, intelligence on skills shortages and future skills and workforce development needs in New South Wales
- to coordinate the development of strategic skills plans that reflect the priorities and directions of the New South Wales Government regarding vocational education and training
- to oversee quality assurance in the vocational education and training system in New South Wales
- to ensure the availability of accurate consumer information on vocational education and training in New South Wales and appropriate consumer protections
- to commission and conduct inquiries and research into any matter relevant to the functions of the Board
- to advise on strategies for more effective educational pathways between secondary school, vocational training and higher education in New South Wales
- to consult widely with reference groups and other representative bodies and persons in the vocational education and training industry.
Industry engagement
The Board’s Industry Engagement Plan identified three initial priority industries that have continued to be a focus of the Board’s work: Construction, Aged Care and Disability Services and Information and Communications Technology (ICT). These industries were re-affirmed as priorities for the Board following the release of the NSW Skills Plan, which is the NSW Government’s strategic plan for skills.
The NSW Skills Plan’s Critical Skills Areas has led to the Board expanding its support beyond the residential and infrastructure construction sectors, to better understand the intersections in skills needs between the construction sectors with the renewable energy and advanced manufacturing sectors.
The Board has also developed an approach to support action in the care and support economy. This approach leverages the extensive research and consultation undertaken by the Board over the last couple of years.
As the key product of the NSW Skills Board’s ICT Industry Working Group, the Board also continues to support the progress of the . The Compact is a flagship government–industry partnership tackling the State’s digital skills shortage.
Contact us
NSW Skills Board Secretariat
Email: NSWSkillsBoard.Secretariat@det.nsw.edu.au
Address: GPO Box 33, Sydney NSW 2001