Margaret McKinnon - Conference Speaker

Margaret McKinnon has been Branch Manager of New Apprenticeships Policy and Program Branch since February 2006. Prior to that, Margaret was with the Australian Building Codes Board, a small agency that works with States and Territories to develop a nationally consistent Building Code.

Margaret’s early experience with education and training come from the two years she spend heading the Trade Facilitation Branch of Australian Education International in DEST where she was responsible for growing Australia’s education engagement internationally.

Prior to joining DEST in 2002, Margaret held a number of positions in the Commonwealth Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Her experience includes dealing with market access issues for the processed food industry, construction, building and automotive industries, delivering programs to grow innovative businesses in regional Australia and negotiating industry development plans for telecommunications carriers after deregulation.

Margaret has a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters of Management (Industry Policy), and a partially completed Masters of Legal Studies, all from ANU. She is a Graduate of the Australian Rural Leadership Course.