Youth Jobs and Participation Taskforce

Hon Felix Ellis MP – Taskforce Chair
Minister for Skills and Training

The Hon Felix Ellis MP was first elected to Parliament in August 2020 and is the Member for Braddon. Since 2022, Minister Ellis has served as a Cabinet Minister, including with responsibility for Skills and Training.

A plumber by trade, Minister Ellis believes young people are Tasmania’s future and is dedicated to paving the way for young people to take up opportunities and build life in our state. Minister Ellis is a strong advocate for vocational education and training as a quality pathway for young people into jobs in demand, providing young Tasmanians with the skills they need to succeed and employers with a job-ready workforce to future-proof our state.

Minister Ellis is looking forward to getting stuck in and working with the Taskforce to empower young people and unlock opportunities to achieve better outcomes for young people in Tasmania.

Reede Adams-Beckett

Reede is passionate about using his platform to give young Tasmanians a voice on the topics that matter to them. He firmly believes young people can change the world for the better.

Reede has sat on several Youth Advisory councils, including the Australian Federal Government’s Creative Industries Youth Advisory Group, headspace Australia’s Youth National Reference Group amongst others. He has also been recently announced as a UNICEF Australia Young Ambassador for 2025/2026. Reede also serves as a Board Member for Youth Network of Tasmania.

Ellsie Bird

Ellsie Bird is a Carpenter & Joiner with Mead Con, a north west Tasmania construction company. In 2023, she was awarded the Master Builders Association National Apprentice of the Year.

She has completed a Certificate IV in Leadership & Management, Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety, and several High-Risk Work licenses. Through her role, she has contributed to initiatives that support young people’s development and drive investment in their future.

Ellsie is passionate about equal opportunities, enhancing education system linkages to career opportunities, and boosting workplace exposure, employment, and retention across sectors, aligning with her commitment to empowering young people in all backgrounds. In recognition of her role as a mentor for new apprentices and her efforts to help foster a cultural shift towards inclusivity in the construction industry, Ellsie was named a 2025 Tasmanian Young Australian of the Year nominee.

Rufus Black

Professor Rufus Black is the Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Tasmania.

Rufus brings extensive commercial and economic policy experience to this role. He was a partner at McKinsey and Company who co-led the Australian Office Public Sector Practice, a board member of CEDA and Innovation Australia, and a strategic advisor to the Secretary of Education in Victoria. During the pandemic, he was a member of the Tasmanian Premier’s Economic and Social Recovery Advisory Council (PESRAC). He is a member of the Australian Government’s Accord Implementation Panel.

He strongly supports the work of the Youth Jobs and Participation Taskforce, and the role all forms of education can play to help Tasmanians pursue the jobs and lives of their choice.

Rufus holds degrees in law, politics, economics, ethics, and theology from the University of Melbourne and Oxford University, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar.

Aleira Chalker

Aleira recently completed a school-based traineeship, undertaking a Certificate IV in Business alongside a job at the state government’s Legislative Council. In 2024, she was named the Tasmanian School-based Apprentice of the Year and a finalist for Australian School-based Apprentice or Trainee of the Year at the Australian Training Awards.

Aleira is a strong advocate for the power of vocational learning, and is committed to supporting young people to succeed. She has just commenced a new job at Kingborough Council, where she is eager to embrace new opportunities to advocate for young people and support her community.

Ann Fedyk

Ann Fedyk is a highly experienced educator with a background in the Social Sciences. She is currently the Executive Director for Development and Support in the Department for Education, Children and Young People (DECYP) in Tasmania, Australia. Ann began her career as a secondary teacher before moving into leadership roles including Principal, Principal Network Leader and General Manager for the Northern Region of schools in Tasmania.

Ann co-led the development of DECYP’s Our Approach to School Improvement, a strategic blueprint for education in Tasmania that aims to support every learner to reach their full potential. It is this lens that drives Ann’s commitment to the work of the Youth Jobs and Participation Taskforce, namely an obligation to make it possible for all young people in Tasmania, regardless of their personal, social or economic circumstances, to access the support they need to achieve economic independence and security.

Stephanie Gee

Stephanie Gee is a small business owner, qualified electrician, and Electrotechnology Tutor at Tas TAFE with almost 15 years of experience in the electrical and construction sectors. She has contributed to national advocacy efforts, is a committee member for the Tasmanian Traineeships and Apprenticeship Committee (TTAC) and is a member of the Tasmanian Association of State School Organisations (TASSO) Board.

Stephanie is passionate about supporting young people into meaningful employment pathways, particularly through Vocational Education and Training. Her priorities align with the Youth Jobs Strategy by improving apprenticeship systems, promoting diversity, and ensuring training programs meet industry needs, empowering young Tasmanians to thrive in the state’s evolving energy and construction sectors.

Scott Harris

Scott Harris is the Chief Executive Officer of the Beacon Foundation, a for purpose organisation with a mission to reach, inspire and connect Australia’s future workforce.

Scott holds strong relationships in the corporate, for purpose and government sectors across Australia. He has a track record of creating practical and real-world collaborations that create measurable impact. Scott's work has been acknowledged nationally with scholarships to study at Harvard and the Macquarie Group's David Clarke Fellowship to study education systems in Europe.

Scott is passionate about lifting the aspiration and motivation of our young people to ensure they can make informed decisions to transition from school into further education or a meaningful career. He is excited about the opportunities for the Taskforce, which brings together a range of stakeholders across government, education, business, and the community sectors to drive the implementation of the Youth Jobs Strategy and support young Tasmanians to be part of Tasmania’s future workforce.

Graham Marshall

Graham Marshall is the Operations Manager of Youth, Family and Community Connections (YFCC), a community organisation serving the north west and north of Tasmania.

He has previously worked in senior management positions in the Manufacturing, Agricultural Research and Community Services sectors and has experience in managing various labour force programs, recruitment services, small business supports and social enterprises.

Graham views the Taskforce as a real opportunity to ensure young people currently in employment, those looking for employment, and those contemplating their career options, have access to accurate and timely information and supports for their employment journey.

Adam Mostogl

Adam Mostogl is the Founder of illuminate Education Australia and CEO of The van Diemen Project and works across the education, small business and social impact sectors. illuminate Education Australia has worked with over 25,000 young people across 300 Australian schools. The van Diemen Project has helped over 3500 Tasmanian small businesses start and build their enterprise.

Adam is focused on unlocking momentum for people to achieve, and sees the work of the Taskforce as a way to help structure the system to create a space where young people are empowered, their voice is heard, their passions are ignited and the multitude of pathways can be opened up rather than closed down.

Alex Paterson

Alex is the General Manager, Skills and Workforce in the Department of State Growth. In this role, Alex oversees Tasmania’s system of training and workforce development with the objective of supporting a skilled and productive workforce and contributing to economic and social progress in Tasmania.

Alex is a public sector leader having worked in senior roles in a number of jurisdictions, at all three levels of government and also in the private sector.

Alex is passionate about delivering outcomes and driving performance in the interests of Tasmanian learners and is looking forward to hearing from the Taskforce members about opportunities to deliver even better outcomes for Tasmanian learners through the Tasmanian Vocational Education and Training system.

Cassie Synnott

Cassie Synott is the Manager of the Southern Employment and Training Network (SETN) Jobs Hub for Kingborough and the Huon Valley. SETN is part of Regional Jobs Hub Network which operates across Tasmania.

Cassie has a broad career background including working on the establishment of the Glenorchy Jobs Hub in 2021. Prior to that she worked in the Disability Employment sector, where she found her passion for working with and advocating for disadvantaged job seekers, particularly youth.

Cassie joins the Taskforce to ensure that Tasmanian youth have clear pathways and support into further education, training and meaningful jobs through the implementation of the Youth Jobs Strategy.

Richard Rollins

Richard Rollins is the Chief People Officer at Incat where he is responsible for the Human Resources Department. He is a qualified human resources practitioner with over 24 years’ experience of providing high-level human resource advice and strategy in both the commercial and community services sectors.

Currently Richard oversees recruitment, learning and development, apprenticeships, performance management, workforce development, people strategy, terms and conditions of employment and HR systems and processes.

Richard has a commitment to creating a cohesive system that prepares young people for a successful vocational career, with a focus on apprenticeship completion and pathways to employment and job readiness that will lead to improved outcomes for industry.