- Published:
- Wednesday 3 July 2024 at 4:31 pm
Minister for Skills and TAFE Gayle Tierney today announced 40 finalists(opens in a new window) for the awards which honour Victorian apprentices, students, teachers, trainers, employers and training providers across 14 categories, including 3 world-class finalists who have been nominated for the Apprentice of the Year award.
- Bonnie Inkster is following her dream to work in motorsports as an apprentice at a leading Australian motor racing team. She is now fabricating parts for supercars having recently completed her Certificate III in Engineering Fabrication Trade at Chisholm Institute(opens in a new window), where she was often the only female in her welding class
- Trey McAuley is following in his family’s tradition of a career in trades, completing a Certificate III in Carpentry at the Gordon(opens in a new window). Trey will compete in the Olympics of vocational training later this year – the WorldSkills competition in France – and wants to mentor the next generation of chippies
- Matthew Tyquin realised his passion thanks to his job at Ashburton Meats. He started an apprenticeship with William Angliss Institute (opens in a new window)and hasn’t looked back - taking home the title of World Champion Butcher Apprentice at the World Butchers Challenge in the United States of America in 2022.
Other finalists range from Northcote-based small business New Plumbing Solutions to state-wide organisations such as the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency, and large training providers South West TAFE(opens in a new window) and Box Hill Institute(opens in a new window), just to name a few. This talent comes from right across Victoria, including Geelong, Shepparton, Traralgon, Warrnambool and Wodonga and highlights the state’s thriving TAFE and vocational education sector.
The 2024 winners will be announced at the Victorian Training Awards gala ceremony on Friday 30 August 2024, with many winners set to go on to represent Victoria at the Australian Training Awards in December.
The Victorian Training Awards acknowledges the support of the Awards’ Principal Partner 2022–2024, the Apprenticeship Employment Network(opens in a new window) (AEN), and the Global Apprenticeship Network(opens in a new window) (GAN Australia).
Since 2014, more than $4.6 billion has been invested into training, skills and higher education to enable more Victorians to up-skill into meaningful, well-paid careers.
Free TAFE(opens in a new window) is removing barriers to training and creating pathways to new careers without the cost of tuition fees in more than 80 priority courses. Free TAFE has benefited more than 175,000 students since it began in 2019, saving them more than $489 million in tuition fees.
See the full list of finalists for 2024.
Read more Victorian Skills Authority news.
Updated