Plenary Panels
The WIL Australia Conference 2026 will feature two connected headline morning panels designed to act as intellectual anchors for the conference.
Across two mornings, the panels will move from the lived experience of students and emerging professionals to the policy, funding and system-level decisions required to support the future of work-integrated learning.
Together, the panels move from lived experience to system-level action, supporting the conference theme: WIL for Impact: Partnering for Scalable Practice.
DAY 1 – MONDAY 19 OCTOBER
Future Talent: What Students Want, What Graduates Expect
This session will create space for candid discussion about the current WIL experience. Students, recent graduates, and early-career professionals will reflect on what is working, where expectations and reality diverge, and what needs to change.
The insights emerging from this session will provide direct provocations for the second-day discussion.
PANELLISTS
To be confirmed
DAY 2 – TUESDAY 20 OCTOBER
Funding the Future: Australia’s Next Big Investment in WIL
Building on the insights raised on Day 1, this panel will bring together policy, government, industry and sector leaders to consider where the next sustained investment in WIL may come from—and what conditions will shape it.
PANELLISTS:
Hon Andrew Giles MP
Minister for Skills & Training
Callan Markwick
Executive Director Workforce Population & Migration, SA Department of State Development
Hon Andrew Giles MP
Minister for Skills & Training
TBC
TEQSA
FACILITATOR:
TBC
Hon Andrew Giles MP
Andrew Giles is the Albanese Government’s Minister for Skills and Training and is the Federal Member for Scullin in Melbourne’s north.
He previously served in the Albanese Government as the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs.
Born and raised in Melbourne, Andrew is a keen reader and runner and an avid supporter of the Carlton Football Club. Andrew has a LLB (Hons) and BA from the University of Melbourne.
Prior to his election to Parliament, Andrew worked as a Principal Lawyer in employment law for Slater and Gordon and as a Senior Associate at Holding Redlich.
Andrew lives in Melbourne with his wife and two children.
Callan Markwick
Callan is the Executive Director, Workforce Population and Migration (WPM), responsible for building a highly skilled workforce in South Australia through targeted policy and investments in workforce capability and attracting global talent to strengthen the state’s economic and social standing. Callan has over 20 years’ experience in leadership roles in both public and private sector, and in-depth knowledge and expertise in local and national training and education systems, workforce planning and strategy, and public sector policy and delivery. Callan holds a Graduate Certificate of Leadership from Deakin University along with tertiary qualifications in project management, human resources, training and career development.
Brett Hall
Brett Hall is General Manager – Policy, Research and Projects in Australian Industry Group’s Centre for Education and Training. The Centre works with and for industry to drive bold new thinking on education and training in the context of work.
Brett has more than 15 years’ experience shaping and implementing workforce, skills and labour market policies and programs aligned to industry needs across national, statewide and local contexts. Prior to joining the Centre, Brett worked in a range of public sector leadership roles across both state and federal governments.