Bob Paton
Bob Paton is a vocational education and training Senior Executive with over 43 years’ experience across multiple industry sectors including automotive engineering and manufacturing, with a strong focus on programs that provide for industry needs. Bob has managed projects in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Vietnam, Korea, PRC, ROC, Thailand, the Philippines, Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Mexico.
For nearly 20 years, Bob worked at TAFE NSW in a number of roles including teacher, departmental head, curriculum and course developer, and educational quality assurance.
After his experience at TAFE, he moved on to head industry training advisory bodies for the engineering and manufacturing sectors, serving the Manufacturing and Related Services Industry Training Advisory Body as National Executive Officer and Manufacturing Industry Skills Council (MSA) as CEO. In these two roles, Bob managed the development of national industry Training Packages and TVET qualifications across the manufacturing sectors of engineering, aerospace, textiles clothing and footwear, furnishing, process manufacturing (chemicals, oil and gas, mineral products), laboratory operations and competitive manufacturing (lean and agile manufacturing). This included gathering and providing labour market and industry intelligence and supporting the work of industry committees.
Bob recently stepped down as CEO of the Manufacturing Industry Skills Council and now heads a boutique consultancy, specialising in industry workforce planning and skills needs, vocational education and training – including policy, and development of occupational standards.
Bob has proven skills and expertise in:
- Corporate leadership, strategic and business planning
- Management across diverse groups
- Financial management and accountability
- Quality assurance of products and services
- Stakeholder engagement and liaison – both industry and government
- Technical and vocational education and training policy, systems and programs
- Workforce planning and development
- Occupational standards and curriculum development
In recent years Bob has undertaken various international projects relating to the development and ongoing refinement of occupational standards in the Asia-Pacific region and India, as well as provided advice to governments in Asia and South America on industry workforce skills needs. This included advice to industry and governments on technical vocational education and training (TVET), engaging industry in TVET, workforce planning, skills needs, and skills recognition.
Starting his career with an apprenticeship as a motor mechanic, working on light and heavy vehicles, plant and equipment, Bob also spent 5 years working in Formula 1.
Bob holds a Diploma of Teaching, a certificate in Financial Management from Macquarie University, as well as qualifications in automotive engineering, and has completed higher education studies in human resource development, quality management, quality assurance and financial management.
If you’re interested in how Bob can deliver positive outcomes in your market or for your organisation, please contact us.
