- Gold Coast-based boat builder Riviera wins Australian Apprentice Employer of the Year.
- Kayla Gagai, a youth worker from Cairns, wins Trainee of the Year.
- Australian Training Awards celebrate the VET sector's top apprentices, trainees, VET students, teachers, practitioners, employers and training providers.
Queensland has won two of the top awards at the 2025 Australian Training Awards held in Darwin last night.
Gold Coast employer Riviera Australia, one of Australia's largest luxury motor yacht manufacturers, was announced Australian Apprentice Employer of the Year, while young Queenslander Kayla Gagai was awarded Trainee of the Year.
Riviera Australia was recognised for their successful Academy of Excellence - a purpose-built training facility that allows apprentices to train alongside master craftspeople and has seen an impressive 95 per cent of apprentices completing their training.
Kayla, a youth worker in Cairns, is dedicated to empowering young people, teaching respectful relationships to primary and secondary school students as they prepare for employment and obtain their driver's licences.
The VET sector celebrated its top apprentices, trainees, VET students, teachers, practitioners, employers and training providers at the 31st year of Australia's premier training awards held at the Darwin Convention Centre.
The Queensland winners and finalists will join fellow finalists from across Australia to become ambassadors and role models for the national VET sector.
Queensland 2025 Australian Training Award recipients and winners:
- Australian Apprenticeships Employer Award (Gold) – Riviera Australia
- Trainee of the Year (Winner) – Kayla Gagai
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year (Runner Up) – Dion Sands
- Small Employer of the Year (Bronze) – Murroona Gardens
- School Pathways to VET Award (Bronze) – CTA Training Specialists
As stated by Federal Minister for Skills and Training, Andrew Giles
"I congratulate the winners and finalists of the 2025 Australian Training Awards. They're great ambassadors for Australia's world-leading vocational education and training sector.
"VET is the engine room delivering the skilled workforce our communities need and rely on every day in sectors as diverse as nursing, construction, manufacturing, aged care and clean energy.
"The Albanese Government is committed to strengthening the VET sector, including through our contribution of $12.6 billion over five years under the National Skills Agreement, and working with the states and territories to deliver Free TAFE, which recently marked more than 725,000 enrolments nationally."
As stated by the Queensland Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training Ros Bates
"With three of Queensland's five recipients from outside the South East Corner, we are proud to be delivered strengthened training opportunities right across Queensland.
"These winners are not just role models in their communities, they are shaping the skilled workforce Queensland needs for the future.
"From $201.1 million for TAFE Centres of Excellence to 2,000 extra fee free Diploma of Nursing places, the Crisafulli Government is delivering a fresh start for Queensland's VET sector and addressing Queensland's skills shortages."
