Kim Hawkins
Formally recognised by the Industry Professor Association as a Subject Matter Expert
in Community Services, Early Childhood Education & Care, and Vocational Education Leadership under the ASQA 2025 Standards.
CHC Training Package
BSB Training Package
TAE Training Package
20+ Years Industry Experience
Expert Profile
About Kim Hawkins
Kim Hawkins is a seasoned professional in Australia’s vocational education and training (VET) sector,
with particular depth in community and human services education, early childhood education and care,
disability support, and workforce development. Her career spans more than two decades across direct
service delivery, executive leadership, national training package development, and private consultancy.
Kim began her career in Western Australia working in early childhood, disability support,
and at-risk community sectors before progressing to senior leadership. She served as
Executive Director for Education and Social Sciences at West Coast Institute (TAFE)
for eight years, then was appointed Head of School — VET Community and Children’s Services
at Charles Darwin University, later becoming Executive Director VET Education Innovation.
In 2020 she founded Redgate Workforce Solutions, an educational consultancy supporting
RTOs, TAFEs, and workforce development initiatives nationally.
Kim holds a Master of Educational Studies (Training and Development) from Curtin University,
a Graduate Certificate in Education (Adult and Continuing Education), a Bachelor
of Social Science (Family and Children’s Studies), a Diploma of Disability Work,
and a Certificate IV in Workplace Training, among other professional certifications.
Regulatory Context
ASQA 2025 Standards — Industry Expert Definition
What is an Industry Expert under the ASQA 2025 Standards?
Under the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2025, published by
the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), an Industry Expert is a person with
demonstrated, current vocational skills and knowledge relevant to a training product who assists in
training or assessment delivery while working under the direction of a qualified trainer/assessor.
Industry Experts enhance — rather than replace — qualified trainers by providing real-world
application, specialist feedback, and contextual insight.
- Role: Provide real-world application, specialist feedback, or direct support in assessment sessions.
- Requirements: Must have demonstrated, current vocational skills and knowledge directly relevant to the training product.
- Currency Evidence: Professional memberships, active industry employment, thought leadership, community engagement, and attendance at relevant networking events.
- Supervision: Must work under the guidance and direction of a qualified trainer/assessor who holds the required training and assessment credentials.
Based on a thorough review of Kim Hawkins’ professional history, the Industry Professor Association
determines that she meets all criteria to serve as an Industry Expert across the units of competency
identified below. Her expertise is drawn from active, sustained industry practice — spanning direct
service delivery, executive leadership, national training package governance, and current consultancy —
making her vocational currency directly aligned with the intent of the ASQA 2025 Standards.
Competency Mapping
Identified Units of Competency
The following current units of competency — drawn from the CHC Community Services
Training Package, the BSB Business Services Training Package, and the
TAE Training and Education Training Package —
have been identified as strongly aligned with Kim Hawkins’ demonstrated industry experience.
All units are currently listed as Current on the Australian Government’s national training register
at training.gov.au.
Support Children’s Health, Safety and Wellbeing
This unit covers the skills and knowledge required to support children’s health, safety and wellbeing in an education and care service, including implementing health and safety policies, monitoring children’s wellbeing, and responding to illness, injury and emergency situations.
Kim served as Deputy Chair of the Children’s Education and Care Industry Reference Committee for six years (2017–2022), directly overseeing the development and update of national training packages that include this unit. She holds a Bachelor of Social Science (Family and Children’s Studies) and began her career working in early childhood settings in Western Australia. Her membership of the ECA WA Pedagogy Subcommittee further demonstrates current, applied expertise in children’s education and care standards.
Work Effectively in Children’s Education and Care
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to work effectively within the children’s education and care sector, including understanding sector frameworks, supporting children’s learning, and working collaboratively with families and colleagues.
As Head of School — VET Community and Children’s Services at Charles Darwin University, Kim was directly responsible for the delivery of early childhood education VET programs across urban, regional and remote settings. Prior to this, she served as Executive Director of Education and Social Sciences at West Coast Institute for eight years, overseeing ECEC training delivery. Her career began with direct practice in the early childhood sector in WA.
Foster Holistic Development and Wellbeing
This unit covers the skills to foster children’s holistic development and wellbeing using approved learning frameworks, including planning and implementing experiences that promote children’s agency, identity, and connection to community.
Kim’s six-year tenure as Deputy Chair of the Children’s Education and Care IRC involved driving national ECEC training standards, including the qualifications that contain this unit. She holds a Trauma Responsive Practice in Education certification from the Australian Childhood Foundation, demonstrating specialist knowledge in supporting children’s holistic wellbeing. Her Bachelor of Social Science (Family and Children’s Studies) provides the foundational theoretical framework for this competency.
Plan and Implement Children’s Education and Care Curriculum
This unit describes the skills to plan and implement curriculum within an education and care service, including designing learning experiences, documenting children’s learning, and evaluating the effectiveness of curriculum approaches.
Kim led curriculum development across ECEC programs as Head of School at CDU. She currently serves as Curriculum Advisor to TAFE institutions and was a member of the ECA WA Pedagogy Subcommittee (2023–2024). Her IRC leadership involved overseeing national updates to ECEC qualifications — the very training products that house this unit of competency.
Meet Legal and Ethical Obligations in Children’s Education and Care
Covers the skills to identify and meet the legal and ethical obligations relevant to working in children’s education and care, including understanding the National Quality Framework, child protection requirements, and duty of care obligations.
Kim’s role as Deputy Chair of the Children’s Education and Care IRC required deep engagement with the regulatory and legal frameworks governing ECEC training nationally. She currently serves as Quality Business Partner at Box Hill TAFE, providing quality oversight to ensure compliance with regulatory standards. Her RTO re-registration consultancy work — resulting in two RTOs receiving seven-year re-registration without site visits — further demonstrates her mastery of legal and compliance frameworks.
Encourage Understanding of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ Cultures
This unit covers the skills to encourage children’s understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ cultures, including embedding cultural perspectives into daily practice and engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Kim served as Council Member on the Aboriginal Education and Employment Training Committee for over seven years and on the Aboriginal Academy for Sport, Health and Education (AASHE) council for six years at West Coast Institute. At CDU she delivered VET programs across remote and regional Northern Territory communities with significant Aboriginal populations, embedding cultural responsiveness into educational delivery.
Communicate and Work in Health or Community Services
This unit covers the skills to communicate effectively with clients, colleagues and other service providers in a health or community services context, including using appropriate communication techniques and maintaining professional boundaries.
Kim has over twenty years of direct professional experience communicating and working across the full spectrum of community services — including early childhood, disability support, aged care, mental health, youth work, and homelessness services. Her roles span direct service delivery, executive leadership, and national advisory committee membership, demonstrating communication competence across all levels of the sector.
Present Information to Stakeholder Groups
This unit describes the skills to present information, data, and recommendations to a range of community services stakeholder groups, including government bodies, boards, community groups, and interagency forums.
Kim was a Cabinet-appointed member of the Ministerial Advisory Council on Disability (WA), presenting to and advising government on disability policy. She has served as Deputy Chair of the CDU Academic Board (VET), presented at industry forums, moderated VET professional development sessions, and engaged stakeholders across national Industry Reference Committees — all requiring advanced stakeholder presentation competency.
Work with Diverse People
Covers the skills to work respectfully and inclusively with people from diverse social and cultural groups, including applying principles of cultural safety and understanding how diversity influences the individual’s needs and lived experience.
Kim has worked across urban (Perth), regional, and remote settings (Northern Territory), with Aboriginal communities, people with disability, individuals experiencing homelessness, FIFO pre-apprentices, and early childhood populations. Her committee membership on Aboriginal education bodies, the Ministerial Advisory Council on Disability, and the Joondalup/Wanneroo Homelessness Action Group demonstrates sustained engagement with diverse communities.
Promote Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Cultural Safety
This unit describes the skills to identify and promote Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural safety in the workplace and in service delivery, including developing strategies that foster culturally safe practice.
Kim served on the Aboriginal Education and Employment Training Committee (7+ years) and the AASHE Council (6+ years), both of which focused on developing culturally safe training environments for Aboriginal peoples. At CDU she delivered VET programs in partnership with Aboriginal communities across the Northern Territory, directly promoting cultural safety in educational contexts.
Implement Community Development Strategies
Covers the skills to implement community development strategies within the community services sector, including engaging communities in participatory processes, facilitating community-led initiatives, and evaluating development outcomes.
Kim served on the Technical Advisory Committee — Community Development (IRC, 2020–2022), directly reviewing units of competency within community development. She was Board Member of Ruah Community Services, a member of the Joondalup/Wanneroo Homelessness Action Group (3+ years), and Board Member of the Joondalup Learning Precinct (6+ years) — all roles requiring the implementation of community development strategies.
Develop and Maintain Networks and Collaborative Partnerships
This unit covers the skills to establish, maintain and enhance networks and collaborative partnerships with other services and organisations in the community services sector.
Kim has served on over ten boards and committees across government, education, community services, and sport sectors. She has forged partnerships across the Ministerial Advisory Council on Disability, national IRCs, Joondalup Learning Precinct, AASHE, Early Childhood Australia, Beyond Blue, ADCET, and the Football Supporters Association Australia — demonstrating sustained, multi-sector partnership competency.
Provide Advocacy and Representation Services
Covers the skills to provide advocacy and representation services to individuals and groups in the community services sector, including identifying advocacy needs, developing strategies, and representing client interests to external bodies.
Kim was a Cabinet-appointed member of the Ministerial Advisory Council on Disability — an explicit advocacy role advising government on behalf of people with disability, their families and carers. She served as Board Member of Ruah Community Services, Deputy Chair of the Football Supporters Association Australia, and inaugural Chairperson of the Perth Glory Fan Reference Group — all formal advocacy and representation roles.
Facilitate Community Participation and Social Inclusion
This unit covers the skills to facilitate community participation and social inclusion for people with disability, including identifying barriers, developing inclusion strategies, and supporting individuals to engage with their community.
Kim was a Cabinet-appointed member of the WA Ministerial Advisory Council on Disability for over four years, advising on disability policy and social inclusion. She holds a Diploma of Disability Work, has direct disability support experience, and led the national ADCET project developing guidelines for supporting disability inclusivity in nationally recognised training products.
Develop and Provide Person-Centred Service Responses
Covers the skills to develop and implement person-centred service responses for people with disability, including identifying individual needs and preferences, developing individualised plans, and coordinating service delivery.
Kim served as a member of the Direct Client Care and Support Industry Reference Committee (3 years), which oversees the development of training standards for person-centred disability service delivery. She contributed to the WA Disability Health Core Capabilities Resource and has embedded person-centred, strengths-based approaches across her entire career in community services and disability support.
Contribute to Ongoing Skills Development Using a Strengths-Based Approach
This unit describes the skills to support and contribute to the ongoing skills development of a person with disability using a strengths-based approach, including identifying existing capabilities, setting goals, and supporting incremental skills development.
Kim explicitly operates from a strengths-based mindset across all her professional practice. She is an NLP Master Practitioner and Certified Relationship Workshop Facilitator, with coaching and mentoring as core services at Redgate Workforce Solutions. Her Diploma of Disability Work and direct disability support experience in WA provide the foundational practice base for this unit.
Work with People with Mental Health Issues
This unit covers the skills to work effectively with people affected by mental health issues, including applying a recovery-oriented approach, recognising mental health issues, and providing appropriate support and referral.
Kim managed mental health VET programs at CDU as Head of School. She led the Be You for VET Initiative (Beyond Blue), a project to increase uptake of mental health professional development among early childhood educators and education support workers. She holds certifications in Psychology and Therapy of Addictions and Trauma Responsive Practice in Education.
Facilitate and Review Case Management
Covers the skills to coordinate, facilitate, and review case management processes, including developing case plans, coordinating services, and evaluating case management outcomes.
Kim served on the Technical Advisory Committee — Case Management (IRC, 2020–2022), directly reviewing and updating units of competency within the case management area. She also led a Community Services RPL project at the Professional Development Centre, assessing experienced workers against case management competency standards.
Identify and Report Children and Young People at Risk
This unit describes the skills to identify children and young people at risk of harm, and to report concerns in accordance with relevant legislation, policies, and procedures.
Kim worked directly in at-risk community sectors in Western Australia at the start of her career. As Head of School for children’s services at CDU, she managed VET programs that included child protection training content. She holds a Trauma Responsive Practice in Education certification from the Australian Childhood Foundation.
Lead and Manage Effective Workplace Relationships
Covers the skills to lead and manage effective workplace relationships, including developing trust, managing networking, and managing the impact of interpersonal styles on work effectiveness.
Kim served as Executive Director of Education at West Coast Institute for eight years and at CDU for over two years, directly leading multi-disciplinary teams. She is an NLP Master Practitioner and Certified Relationship Workshop Facilitator, with over twenty years of sustained team leadership. Her coaching and mentoring practice at Redgate Workforce Solutions is grounded in relationship management expertise.
Manage Team Effectiveness
Covers the skills to manage and facilitate teamwork, including developing team performance plans, facilitating team cohesion, managing team effectiveness, and implementing improvement strategies.
Kim managed large, multi-disciplinary VET school teams across West Coast Institute and Charles Darwin University — including staff across urban, regional and remote locations. She currently leads the Redgate Workforce Solutions team and delivers training in leadership and management, including Difficult Conversations, to external clients.
Facilitate Continuous Improvement
This unit covers the skills to lead and manage continuous improvement systems and processes, including analysing and evaluating current processes, identifying opportunities for improvement, and implementing improvement strategies.
Kim currently serves as Quality Business Partner at Box Hill TAFE, where she implements continuous improvement approaches to enhance educational outcomes. Her RTO re-registration consultancy work involves benchmarking organisational practices against the Standards for RTOs. She also contributed to the publication A Model of Sustainable Innovation with Dr John Mitchell.
Lead the Work Team
Covers the skills to lead and manage a work team within a community services context, including planning work allocation, monitoring performance, and supporting team development.
Kim held Executive Director roles at both CDU and West Coast Institute, directly leading VET schools with multiple staff members. She served as Deputy Chair of the CDU Academic Board (VET) and currently operates as Principal Consultant at Redgate, leading project teams across national workforce development initiatives.
Facilitate Vocational Training
This unit covers the skills to plan, facilitate, and review vocational training sessions, including preparing session plans, facilitating group-based learning, and supporting individual learner needs within the VET context.
Kim has over twenty years as a VET educator and leader. She currently works as a Workshop/Training Facilitator delivering accredited training in Education Support, Leadership and Management, and Difficult Conversations, as well as non-accredited training to FIFO pre-apprentices. She holds a Certificate IV in Workplace Training and a Master of Educational Studies (Training and Development).
Use Nationally Recognised Training Products to Meet Vocational Training Needs
Covers the skills to interpret and apply nationally recognised training products — including training packages, qualifications, units of competency, and accredited courses — to plan training and assessment in the VET sector.
Kim served as Deputy Chair of the Children’s Education and Care IRC (6 years) and member of the Direct Client Care and Support IRC (3 years), directly developing and updating nationally recognised training packages. She currently advises TAFE on curriculum development and serves as Quality Business Partner at Box Hill TAFE.
Design and Develop Plans for Vocational Training
This unit covers the skills to design and develop training plans to meet the requirements of nationally recognised training products, including analysing target learner groups, designing learning programs, and developing assessment strategies.
Kim has designed curriculum across multiple sectors throughout her career. She currently serves as Curriculum Advisor to TAFE for green energy workforce initiatives. She wrote and accredited the Certificate IV in Doula Services with ASQA through the Australian Doula College — demonstrating end-to-end competency in designing, developing, and accrediting vocational training programs from scratch.
Assess Competence
This unit covers the skills to plan and conduct assessment of competence against units of competency from nationally endorsed training packages or accredited courses.
Kim is currently active as a training facilitator and assessor across multiple RTOs. She led a Community Services RPL project at the Professional Development Centre, assessing experienced workers against the Certificate III in Community Services through evidence-gathering and gap-training methodologies. She holds a Certificate IV in Workplace Training and has over twenty years of VET assessment experience.
Facilitate Workplace-Based Learning
Covers the skills to facilitate learning in a workplace context, including identifying workplace learning opportunities, supporting learners in the workplace, and monitoring and reviewing workplace learning.
Kim currently delivers workplace-based training to FIFO pre-apprentices and facilitates workplace delivery models across multiple settings. Her consultancy at Redgate involves supporting RTOs with workplace-based assessment and training delivery strategies.
Mentor in the Workplace
This unit covers the skills to establish and manage a mentoring relationship in the workplace, including developing a mentoring plan, facilitating the mentoring process, and evaluating the effectiveness of mentoring.
Professional mentoring is a core service offering at Redgate Workforce Solutions. Kim led the cross-organisational mentoring program at the Joondalup Learning Precinct for many years, connecting mentors and mentees across West Coast Institute, ECU, and WA Police Academy. She is an NLP Master Practitioner with explicit coaching and mentoring expertise embedded across her entire career.
Work Effectively in the VET Sector
This unit covers the skills to work within the VET policy and regulatory framework, including understanding VET sector structures, national training frameworks, and the responsibilities of RTOs and trainers/assessors.
Kim has over twenty years of direct experience in the Australian VET sector at every level — TAFE, university, private RTO, and national governance. She served as Deputy Chair of the CDU Academic Board (VET), Executive Director VET Education Innovation at CDU, and currently operates as Quality Business Partner at Box Hill TAFE. She has prepared multiple RTOs for ASQA re-registration.
Plan and Implement Individual Support Plans for Learners with Disability
This unit covers the skills to plan and implement individual support plans for learners with disability in VET settings, including identifying support needs, developing individualised strategies, and monitoring the effectiveness of support.
Kim led the national ADCET-funded project to develop guidelines for supporting disability inclusivity in nationally recognised training products. She was a Cabinet-appointed member of the Ministerial Advisory Council on Disability, contributed to the Disability Health Core Capabilities Resource, holds a Diploma of Disability Work, and completed NDCO Disability Awareness training for the VET sector.
Expert Determination
Rationale for Recognition as Industry Expert
The Industry Professor Association’s assessment of Kim Hawkins against the ASQA 2025 Standards
for Industry Experts is grounded in four key criteria: duration and depth of vocational experience,
demonstrated current industry practice, peer and institutional recognition,
and commitment to knowledge transfer.
Demonstrated Vocational Skills & Knowledge
With over twenty years in community services and VET — including direct service delivery in early childhood, disability, and at-risk communities, followed by executive leadership at two major institutions — Kim possesses deep, applied vocational knowledge across all identified competency areas. Her expertise is derived from hands-on practice, sector leadership, and national training package governance.
Currency of Industry Knowledge
Kim is currently active across multiple roles: Principal Consultant at Redgate Workforce Solutions (2020–present), Quality Business Partner at Box Hill TAFE (2025–present), Curriculum Advisor to TAFE (2025–present), and Workshop/Training Facilitator delivering accredited and non-accredited training (2024–present). She is an active practitioner, not a former one.
Peer & Institutional Recognition
Kim was Cabinet-appointed to the WA Ministerial Advisory Council on Disability. She was elected Deputy Chair of the national Children’s Education and Care IRC. CDU’s Pro Vice-Chancellor publicly praised her innovation and industry knowledge. She has been endorsed by over thirty colleagues on LinkedIn and formally recognised as an Industry Professor in Community Services by INDPA.
Commitment to Knowledge Transfer & Mentoring
Kim has consistently invested in education and knowledge sharing — from leading VET schools at CDU and West Coast Institute, to coaching and mentoring professionals through Redgate. She led the Joondalup Learning Precinct mentoring program, developed the Be You for VET Initiative, coordinated the ADCET disability inclusivity project, and wrote and accredited the Certificate IV in Doula Services.
Cross-Sector & Cross-Cultural Depth
Kim has delivered services and led organisations across early childhood education, disability support, aged care, mental health, youth work, homelessness, Aboriginal education, community development, and workforce training — spanning urban Perth, remote Northern Territory, and national contexts.
Relevance to VET Training Products
The 24 units of competency identified represent current, industry-endorsed training products across Certificate III, Certificate IV, and Diploma levels within the CHC, BSB, and TAE training packages. Kim’s lived experience maps directly to the elements and performance criteria of each unit — not merely their general subject matter.
Industry Currency
Evidence of Current Industry Engagement
Under the ASQA 2025 Standards, currency must be evidenced by recent and ongoing industry activity.
The following demonstrates Kim Hawkins’ active and current industry engagement:
- Currently active as Principal Consultant at Redgate Workforce Solutions (2020–present), delivering workforce development, coaching, and training project leadership across Australia
- Currently serving as Quality Business Partner at Box Hill TAFE (2025–present), supporting curriculum development and quality oversight
- Currently engaged as Curriculum Advisor to TAFE for green energy workforce initiatives (2025–present)
- Currently delivering accredited training as Workshop/Training Facilitator in Education Support, Leadership and Management, and Difficult Conversations (2024–present)
- Currently delivering non-accredited training to FIFO pre-apprentices across multiple locations (2024–present)
- Led Community Services RPL project at the Professional Development Centre, assessing experienced workers against Certificate III standards (2024)
- Member, Early Childhood Australia (WA branch) Pedagogy Subcommittee (2023–2024)
- Led RTO re-registration preparation for two RTOs — both granted seven-year re-registration without site visits (2023–2024)
- Deputy Chair (Operations), Football Supporters Association Australia (2023–present), demonstrating active community leadership and advocacy
- Inaugural Chairperson, Perth Glory Fan Reference Group (2023–present)
- Recognised as Industry Professor in Community Services by the Industry Professor Association (2025)
- Active LinkedIn thought leadership with 1,172 followers and 500+ professional connections across the VET and community services sectors
Formal Recognition
INDPA Recognition Statement
Industry Professor Association — Subject Matter Expert Recognition
The Industry Professor Association (INDPA) formally recognises Kim Hawkins as a
Subject Matter Expert in the fields of Community Services, Early Childhood
Education and Care, Disability Support and Inclusion, and Vocational Education and Training
Leadership, encompassing training delivery, curriculum development, quality assurance,
workforce development, mentoring, and community services practice.
This recognition is consistent with the intent of the Australian Skills Quality Authority
(ASQA) Standards for RTOs 2025, which recognise that industry experts with demonstrated,
current vocational skills and knowledge make a valuable contribution to vocational education and
training (VET) delivery when working under the direction of a qualified trainer/assessor.
Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) wishing to engage Kim Hawkins as an Industry Expert
to support training and assessment delivery in the competency areas identified above are encouraged
to contact the Industry Professor Association at
www.industryprofessor.org.
Competency Mapping Prepared by: Industry Professor Association (INDPA) |
Date of Recognition: May 2026 |
Training Package References: CHC Community Services Training Package;
BSB Business Services Training Package; TAE Training and Education Training Package |
Regulatory Framework: ASQA Standards for RTOs 2025
- About the Author
- More info
As CEO of Industry Professor Association, I have a passion for education and learning that leads towards a productive outcome for Industry. The Industry Professor Association is a non-profit organisation that recognises industry expertise and experience and helps members gain the ultimate recognition of their Industry career. We also help organise their industry expertise by converting it into digital learning products and sharing it with a learner hungry world.
As a previous Head of School – Southbank Institute of Technology, it gave me great insight into educational design, corporate client learning needs, government policy and strategies. My goal was to meet the needs of industry in regards to providing graduates who were highly trained in practical skills and employability skills. Whilst meeting the learning style of a generation that is highly engaging with communication channels, and immersed in collaboration to gain learning at their time, place and pace.