Carol Hunter is the principal of RTO Services and Consulting and has more than 20 years’ experience in the VET sector. Before moving into consulting, Carol was Director of Training Quality and Regulation at the Department of Education and Training Queensland.

1. What’s the most overrated topic in education right now?

Quality in VET. It’s the new catch phrase—and apparently, it might even be the antithesis of compliance!

Nothing about the message has changed or should have changed since competency-based training started—be professional and invest in what you do. Deliver the ‘experience’ (not the package), assess holistically and deeply, implement strong governance and administrative frameworks, and offer a client-focused business model.

Do these things, and both quality and compliance are the natural by-products.

2. Does technology motivate creativity?

Consistent evidence points to creativity being one of the surviving areas of employability into the future. Some types of creativity (none of which I possess) generate those technological breakthroughs which, in turn, spawn further creative ideas, solutions and products.

It’s cyclic, isn’t it?

3. What app can’t you live without?

The weather app. It saves me from being on Facebook and having my friends and others tell me there’s a storm coming.

4. What events from your own experience as a learner have informed your approach to your work in education?

I am an auditory and kinaesthetic learner, which means that as well as preferring talking, listening, and discussions, I also like touch and feel. I found school and uni was a ‘test of endurance’.

5. Which actor would play you in the movie about your life?

I think Princess Anne is a pretty good actor. She would be my avatar (an incarnate divine teacher) in a 3D augmented reality biopic! Every little girl wants a pony, but she got all the ponies—by birthright!