Roger Jaensch,Minister for Skills, Training and Workforce Growth
The Tasmanian Training Awards shine a light on the depth and diversity of Tasmania's vocational education and training (VET) students and the real contribution VET makes to their careers and to Tasmania's future.
Nominations for the 2022 Tasmanian Training Awards are now open, providing an opportunity to recognise the excellence of our students, teachers, employers and training organisations.
Vocational education and training continues to grow in popularity and presents as a real career pathway for Tasmanians from all walks of life. The latest figures show that in the last year alone the number of Tasmanians in government-funded VET courses jumped by around 20 per cent, attracting more students in both trade and non-trade qualifications.
VET qualifications build confident, skilled and knowledgeable employees that in turn contribute to business sustainability and growth.
The Tasmanian Liberal Government is a strong supporter of helping local people access the skills and training they need to take up local jobs and supporting Tasmanian employers to get access to the skilled workers they need to grow their businesses.
The 2021 Tasmanian Apprentice of the Year, Sophie Russell, is an example of how VET plays a vital role in ensuring exciting futures for our future generations of apprentices.
Sophie was a stand-out in the 2021 Tasmanian Training Awards. Sophie had completed her carpentry apprenticeship in 2020 at TasTAFE and secured ongoing employment with a VEC Civil Engineering in Ulverstone which also allowed her to work in her hometown.
Sophie's apprenticeship has been a rewarding experience and employer VEC provided her the opportunity to gain additional experience which she has been very thankful for.
Sophie has also been involved in women in construction programs and VEC's Safety Committee allowing her to demonstrate her leadership and follow her goal to encourage others into similar roles.
Part of the journey for the students, employers, teachers and training organisations that are involved in the training awards is valuable professional development opportunities that are part and parcel of becoming a winner.
The Tasmanian Training Awards are run by Skills Tasmania each year and finalists in the 14 categories join their peers at a gala presentation evening in September where winners are announced.
Tasmania's award winners (in aligned categories) progress to the annual Australian Training Awards in November to compete against winners from all states and territories for the national titles.
Nominations are now open for 2022 Tasmanian Training Awards in the following categories:
- Apprentice of the Year
- Trainee of the Year
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year
- Vocational Student of the Year
- School-based Apprentice/Trainee of the Year
- VET in Schools Student of the Year
- VET Teacher/Trainer of the Year
- Equity Vocational Student of the Year
- Equity Apprentice/Trainee of the Year
- Large Employer of the Year
- Small Employer of the Year
- Industry Collaboration Award
- Large Training Provider of the Year
- Small Training Provider of the Year
- Trevor Leo Medal
To nominate for this year's Tasmanian Training Awards go to https://www.skills.tas.gov.au/about/events_and_awards_programs/tasmanian_training_awards
