Australian Training Awards

The 2021 Australian Training Awards were hosted virtually on Thursday 18 November and Victoria emerged victorious in the following categories:

• Vocational Student of the Year Award – Samantha Daly, Swinburne University of Technology
• Excellence in Language, Literacy and Numeracy Practice Award – Dean Champ, Box Hill Institute
• Large Training Provider of the Year Award – William Angliss Institute (for the sixth year running, a Victorian training provider has won this award)
• Australian Apprenticeships - Employer Award – WPC Group - Esso Australia
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year Award ‘Runner-Up’ – Lucas Price, Victorian Aboriginal Community Services Association Limited

The following Victorian Training Awards winners represented Victoria at the 2021 Australian Training Awards and were finalists in their respective categories:

• Apprentice of the Year Award – Andrew Jan, Bendigo TAFE
• Trainee of the Year Award – Samantha Brown, Federation University TAFE
• Australian School-based Apprentice or Trainee of the Year Award – Laura Davidson, Sunraysia Institute of TAFE and Mildura Senior College
• VET Teacher/Trainer of the Year Award – Julie Kramer, Bendigo TAFE
• Small Training Provider of the Year Award – Builders Academy Australia
• Large Employer of the Year Award – Metro Trains Melbourne
• Small Employer of the Year Award – Swell Constructions

The 2020 Australian Awards were hosted virtually on Friday 20 November and Victoria took out the top prize in the following categories:

• Teacher/Trainer of the Year: Kevin Nunn, TAFE Gippsland
• Large Training Provider of the Year: South West Institute of TAFE (for the fifth year running, a Victorian training provider has won this award)
• Small Training Provider of the Year - Builders Academy Australia

The following VTA Winners represented Victoria at the 2020 Australian Training awards and were finalists in their respective categories.

• Apprentice of the Year - Shona McGuigan
• Trainee of the Year - Nicole Barrow
• Vocational Student of the Year - Simon Watts
• School-based Apprentice or Trainee of the Year - Van Sui Thawng
• Koorie Student of the Year - Matthew Atkinson
• Industry Collaboration Award - SuniTAFE Aged Care Leadership Development Collaboration

At the 2019 Australian Training Awards ceremony on 21 November in Brisbane, Victoria took out the top prize in the following categories:

• Industry Collaboration Award: Holmesglen Institute and Royal Children’s Hospital
• Large Training Provider of the Year Award: Sunraysia Institute of TAFE (fourth year running that a Victorian training provider has won this award)
• Australian School-Based Apprentice of the Year Award 'Runner Up' - Heidi Liesel-Rasmussen

The following VTA winners represented Victoria at the 2019 Australian Training awards and were finalists in their respective categories.

• Vocational Student of the Year Award - Rachael Hilder
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander of the Year Award - Tanya McDonald
• Trainee of the Year Award- Daniela Feldman
• Apprentice of the Year Award - Jake Carter
• VET Teacher/Trainer of the Year Award- Jodi Rechsteiner-Sanders
• Large Employer of the Year Award - Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority
• Small Training Provider of the Year Award - Ringwood Training

At the 2018 Australian Training Awards ceremony on 15 November in Sydney, Victoria took out the top prize in the following categories:

• National Achievement Award - Jennie Barrera
• Australian Apprenticeships - Employer Award - Siemens Ltd.
• Large Employer of the Year - PACCAR Australia
• International Training Provider of the Year - Box Hill Institute Group
• Large Training Provider of the Year - Wodonga Institute of TAFE

Congratulations also to our two runners-up in the very hotly contested individual categories:

• Amanda Woodhams - Australian Apprentice (Trainee) of the Year Award
• Alyssa Heard - Australian Apprentice of the Year Award

The following VTA winners represented Victoria at the 2019 Australian Training awards and were finalists in their respective categories.

• VET Teacher/Trainer of the Year Award - Wendy Lever-Henderson
• Vocational Student of the Year Award - Elise Stewart
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year Award - Lewis Brown
• Australian School-based Apprentice of the Year Award - Sophie Babycz
• Industry Collaboration Award - Holmesglen Healthscope Industry Collaboration
• Small Training Provider of the Year Award - Builders Academy Australia
• Large Training Provider of the Year Award - Wodonga Institute of TAFE

The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented in recognition of an individual's outstanding leadership and contribution to the VET sector for more than 25 years. This may be a new innovation, new knowledge, or ways to improve professional practice deemed to be above and beyond the everyday with a long-lasting impact in the sector.

The Excellence in Language, Literacy and Numeracy Practice Award recognises innovation and excellence by an individual involved in improving English language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) skills in an educational, community or workplace context.

The Innovation in VET Award recognises and celebrates innovation initiatives in the vocational education and training (VET) and skills sector.

The School Pathways to VET Award recognises eligible organisations including schools, registered training organisations, group training organisations, industry bodies and employers that have collaboratively delivered one (or more) excellent vocational education and training programmes to secondary school students.

The Australian Apprenticeships - Employer Award recognises those employers who have made innovative improvements in training which provide beneficial outcomes for their apprentices and/or trainees in Australia and to their local community. Nominees for this award are ineligible to nominate for the Victorian Employer Award for Apprenticeship Development.