National Careers Institute Advisory Board

Our Advisory Board guides and supports our strategic direction by providing independent and expert advice when needed, helping us to achieve our purpose and objectives.

Previous Communique

Michelle Ayyuce, Chair

Michelle Ayyuce is the current Chair of the National Careers Institute Advisory Board. Michelle is the Co-Director of ZIPWIRE, a business that provides a conduit between organisations and career returners. ZIPWIRE aims to empower and fast-track women on their return-to-work journeys, whilst also working collaboratively with organisations to design programs and address systematic barriers that women face when returning.

Marie Persson

Recently, Marie completed a seven-year period as a member of the NSW Skills Board where she chaired its Industry Reference Group. Marie has held senior executive positions in the Australian public sector at the federal and state levels for over 20 years. Previously she was a member of the Australian Government's Skills Australia Board, which became the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency, and head of the NSW TAFE and Community Education.

David Carney

David Carney is the Executive Director of the Career Industry Council of Australia (CICA). David has over 20 years’ experience working in the career development industry and is recognised nationally and internationally for the knowledge and expertise he brings to the field. He is an active contributor to a range of government and corporate consultative and advisory bodies in the areas of career development, employment and workforce development.

Saxon Phipps

Saxon Phipps is the Founder and Managing Director of Year13, Australia’s largest EduTech platform for high school leavers. Saxon and the team at Year13 have been able to apply this process to develop several youth engagement strategies for various departments in the NSW, ACT and SA governments.

Erica Smith

Erica Smith is a Professor of Vocational Education and Training in the School of Education and leader of the Researching Adult and Vocational Education Group, Federation University. Professor Smith’s main research specialisation is apprenticeships. Other areas of expertise include VET teachers and their qualifications, VET policy, industry training, and young people and work. She has a wide range of experience in VET and industry, and manages a VET teacher-education program.

Corey Tutt

Corey Tutt is a Kamilaroi man from Port Macquarie , NSW. Mr Tutt is the CEO and founder of DeadlyScience, which is a non-government organisation that provides science resources, mentoring and training to over a hundred remote and regional schools across Australia with a particular focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Charlene Davison

Charlene is a proud Biripi Gadigal woman and the first Aboriginal Chief Executive Officer of the GO Foundation. The GO Foundation empowers young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through education. They support students from primary to tertiary, creating opportunities through the delivery of their holistic Scholarship Program, with a focus on culture and education to help them reach their full potential.

Laura Angus, ex-officio member

Laura Angus is the Executive Director of the National Careers Institute and a First Assistant Secretary within the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. Laura has held various senior leadership positions across the APS, including most recently leading the Economic Reform Taskforce and heading up the Payment Integrity Division in the Department of Education, Skills and Employment.

Professor Peter Dawkins AO, ex-officio member

Professor Peter Dawkins AO was appointed as the Director of Jobs and Skills Australia in December 2022, following its establishment on November 2022 under interim legislation, to provide independent advice to government on current and emerging workforce needs in order to meet the skills needs of a thriving economy. He is charged with the task of leading the establishment of Jobs and Skills Australia with the support of a Consultative Forum comprising key stakeholders from business, unions, vocational education and higher education and from the states and territories. In this role he is directly accountable to the Minister for Skills and Training, the Hon. Brendan O’Connor MP.