About Us
Claire Field & Associates is a Sydney-based consultancy specializing in strategic advice and support across Australia’s tertiary education sector.
Strategic support to key tertiary education stakeholders
Claire Field and Associates provides advice and strategic support to key Australian and international providers and stakeholders across the tertiary education sector. We assist education providers and others engaged in the tertiary education sector to successfully navigate changes in policy, funding and regulatory settings across the vocational education and training (VET), international and higher education sectors, as well the impact of GenAI and EdTech.
Understanding Australian education within the global context
In 2024 Claire has been involved in:
- a ‘great debate’ keynote presentation at the bi-annual TAFE Directors Australia national conference
- a keynote presentation to the SkillsIQ NSW ITAB Industry Forum
- a keynote presentation to the University of Melbourne’s Centre for the Study of Higher Education’s Forum on International Education
- moderating the ASEAN TVET Council’s 3rd Regional Policy Dialogue in Bali, Indonesia
- presenting to the International Education Association of Australia’s (IEAA) National Symposium, and
- facilitating four professional development sessions for a large TAFE Institute on Generative AI and its impact on education and on the changing world of work (ie on ‘how’ and ‘what’ we teach).
In 2023 Claire was recognised as the IEAA “Excellence in Professional Commentary Award Winner” for her commentary on international education issues. She was also recognised by The PIE as one of Australia and ASEAN’s ‘Top 50’ voices on international education.
In 2023 she was also:
- the MC at the Vietnamese Directorate of Vocational Education and Training (DVET) and Australian Embassy in Vietnam’s VET International Forum
- a keynote speaker at the Community Colleges Australia Annual Conference
- a panel presenter at the annual Australian International Education Conference
- a presenter to the JVET “Early Career Researchers Group”
- Chair of two panel sessions at the EduGrowth National EdTech Summit
- a panel presenter at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress
- a panel presenter at the Australia China Business Council Annual Education Symposium
- a keynote speaker at the VET Development Centre’s Annual Conference
- Chair of two policy panels at the National Apprentice Employer Network Annual Conference
- the MC at the Victorian TAFE Association’s Annual Conference
- a keynote speaker to the NSW Teachers Guild’s Annual VET in Schools Forum
- a keynote presenter to the ‘TAFE Talks’ national webinar on The Future of Learning: ChatGPT, EdTech, and the Impact on Academic Integrity,
- conducted staff professional development sessions on the impact of Generative AI for leading TAFE Institute, private and community providers, and
- invited to participate in a public hearing for the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Subcommittee’s inquiry into Australia’s tourism and international education sectors.
Claire has been invited by overseas governments and agencies to speak at a range of conferences including the June 2022 UNESCO Seventh International Conference on Adult Education and in December 2019 the ‘For the Future: International Conference on VET Development’ in Beijing, China. In November 2019 she chaired the panel discussion on ‘Harnessing Digital Technology for Application in Workplace Training with Employment Outcomes’ at the ASEAN-Australia Education Dialogue in Penang, Malaysia. She previously delivered a keynote address on quality in the private tertiary education sector at the invitation of the Singapore government, and was invited by UNECSO to deliver a keynote conference address in Myanmar.
Claire’s focus is on what Australian providers can learn from global education trends and how international forces are shaping the Australian post-secondary education sector.
Latest advice from key international events
Higher education and VET providers
Claire Field and Associates work with higher education and vocational education and training providers to:
- expand their operations through the identification of new business opportunities and potential partners (on and offshore)
- understand and proactively respond to emerging policy changes and competition from non-accredited education providers
- explore EdTech/GenAI opportunities, partnerships and challenges
- undertake reviews of their business operations and assist with strategic planning, and
- assist with due diligence on potential acquisitions.
Consulting services that assist government agencies and tertiary education providers
Claire Field and Associates also provide consulting services that assist government agencies and tertiary education providers to:
- understand the changing world of work and changing skill needs
- develop new regulatory approaches
- examine the growth and potential of GenAI and EdTech
- develop new business models, and
- review the performance of higher education and vocational training organisations.
About Claire Field
Claire Field is a member of the Australian government’s Pacific Australian Labour Mobility (PALM) Advisory Group and provides advice to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on skills-related issues in South East Asia. In 2023 she was awarded the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) Excellence in Professional Commentary Award. She is undertaking a PhD at Torrens University writing the history of the university’s first ten years of operations in Australia.
Claire has worked in a variety of educational institutions including TAFE NSW and a national not-for-profit VET provider. She is the former Chief Executive of the Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET) which represented more than 1,000 private VET and higher education providers. Prior to that Claire held senior positions in State and Commonwealth government agencies with responsibility for policy, planning, performance review, and regulatory reform in the post-secondary education sector.
Acknowledgement of Country
As a Sydney-based agency with a national footprint, we acknowledge the traditional ownership the Gadigal people of the Eora nation, as well as Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia, and pay our respects to their Elders past and present. We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. In our work in the education sector, we pay particular respect to the ongoing importance of education to Traditional Owners, in the passing on of knowledge through song, story telling and other means for thousands of years on this land.
