Individual Awards Winners

2024 NSW Apprentice of the Year

Winner: Rachael Pearson

Qualification: Certificate III in Engineering - Mechanical Trade

Trained by: TAFE NSW

Employed by: Zeal Futures

Hosted by: South 32

Region: Illawarra & South East NSW Region

Rachael Pearson is a multi-skilled, highly decorated individual with a big future ahead of her. Gaining an apprenticeship in Mechanical Engineering and co-captaining the Parramatta Eels NRL/W team, she’s a shining example for what’s possible with vocational education.

Enrolling in a Certificate III in Engineering (Mechanical Trade) apprenticeship in mining, Rachael headed to Wollongong to pursue her passions. While undertaking her apprenticeship she played for the St George Illawarra Dragons’ NRL/W team and was selected in the NSW Women’s State of Origin team in 2022 – going on to win the series.

Gaining competency-based completion of her apprenticeship, she is now able to focus on her career as a professional athlete, safe in the knowledge that she will have her trade to come back to after her sporting career ends.

She’s a role model, particularly to young girls who want to play rugby and/or pursue a trade.

2024 NSW Trainee of the Year

Winner: Lachlan Carey

Qualification: Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care

Trained by: Atkinson Training & Development

Employed by: A Magical Time Childrens Centre

Region: Hunter & Central Coast Region

Lachlan Carey is driven to make a difference in the lives of children. Facing his fair share of challenges for someone so young, he’s been inspired to pay forward the acts of kindness he received by enrolling in a Certificate III in Early Childhood and Care.

Suffering two strokes in year 10 that required multiple surgeries and lengthy recovery times, Lachlan was unable to return to school and decided to pursue his passion for educating kids. Bringing his fun, nurturing and patient nature to every interaction in his traineeship, he was immediately adored by colleagues, families and, most importantly, the children in his care.

As someone with dyslexia, Lachlan found the pace and style of learning game changing. “My VET training was perfect for me,” he says. “The course requirements were clear and I could link the theory and the practical together to gain confidence in my studies.”

Now tackling a Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care, Lachlan has a future he’ll forever be grateful for.

2024 NSW School-based Apprentice/Trainee of the Year

Winner: Dascha Harrison

Qualification: Certificate III in Health Services Assistance

Trained by: TAFE NSW

Employed by: Hunter New England Local Health District

School: Newcastle High School

Region: Hunter & Central Coast Region

Soon to complete year 12 with a school-based traineeship, Dascha Harrison will seamlessly progress in the healthcare industry thanks to her determination and acquired skills.

Pursuing a Certificate III in Health Assistance Services was a natural choice for Dascha after experiencing the power of holistic care firsthand as a teenager. She knew a traineeship was the fast track to her dream career as it aligns perfectly with her long-term goal of becoming a specialist in child and adolescent psychiatry.

Dascha has hit her goals throughout her qualification while also achieving in the classroom, on the sports field and in her part-time job. She’s the editor of her school’s fortnightly newsletter, represents her region in hockey and cross country and is writing a systematic review focusing on the effectiveness of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy in the treatment of Anorexia nervosa in adolescents.

The sky’s the limit for Dascha and she hopes to inspire others to consider an SBAT pathway.

2024 NSW Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year

Winner: Baylun Williams-Pinkie

Qualification: Certificate III in Electrotechnology Electrician

Trained by: TAFE NSW

Region: Central & Northern Sydney Region

With a dream to complete a trade and create a better future, Baylun Williams-Pinkie got everything he was hoping for through his vocational pathway. And, as a proud Mirring and Wiradjuri man, he’s dedicated to seeing his own successes mirrored by others in his community.

Taking on a Certificate III in Electrotechnology through Dyirranga, an Indigenous-owned not-for-profit that supports First Nations youth through electrical apprenticeships, Baylun quickly got a sense of just how many opportunities his trade would open for him. He also gained so much support and confidence from the team of Indigenous men and women around him.

Now, balancing his work as a fully qualified electrician with the Indigenous dance group he runs and cultural teaching opportunities, he frequently takes time to advocate for this pathway, in the hope that other First Nations people find the life-changing career he did through vocational education.

2024 NSW Vocational Student of the Year

Winner: Samantha Zannes

Qualification: Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care

Trained by: ECTARC

Employed by: Jenny's Kindergarten and Early Learning Centre - Bathurst

Region: Western NSW Region

Driven to tailor education to children with additional needs, Samantha Zannes pursued a vocational pathway to become an Early Childhood Teacher.

Initially trained as a Primary School Special Education Teacher, Samantha took time away to raise her own children. After a 10-year hiatus, she was ready to return to the profession, but wanted to connect with an approach that mirrored her personal education philosophy. Samantha knew the importance of early intervention for students with additional needs and therefore set her focus on obtaining a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care.

Completing the qualification in just over 12 months, Samantha was then recognised within the teaching profession as an Early Childhood Teacher.

Now, as the Assistant Director and Educational Leader of an early learning centre, Samatha feels that her pathway was the perfect avenue to success.

2024 NSW VET Trainer/Teacher of the Year

Winner: Michael Pfeffer

Field of Study: Hospitality

Employed by: Public Schools NSW, Wagga Wagga

Region: Illawarra & South East NSW Region

Leveraging his previous career as a chef, Michael Pfeffer is dedicated to empowering budding hospitality stars in his charge.

Grounding his teaching style in practical application, Michael has managed to ignite his students’ passion for the industry – one that mirrors his own. His success as a Hospitality educator partly comes down to his comprehensive CV. He worked in fine-dining restaurants, cafés and hotels for 10 years before gaining a Bachelor of Education Technology and Applied Studies at university.

Described by his colleagues at Dapto High School as a beacon of positivity and encouragement, Michael’s ability to inspire can also be attributed to a passion for what he does. But it’s his readiness to prioritise real-world learning that sees Michael exceed expectations. He’s established a cafe in the school grounds for his students to learn in, led the NSW WorldSkills Commercial Cookery team in 2023 and incorporates excursions, industry speakers and interactive components to his teaching wherever possible. 

2024 NSW VET in Schools Student of the Year

Winner: Gabriella Ward

Qualification: Certificate III in Health Services Assistance

Trained by: TAFE NSW

School: Peel High School

Region: New England Region

For as long as she can remember, Gabriella Ward has dreamed of working in healthcare.

Inspired by the doctors and nurses that treated her as a child, Gabriella started her healthcare career journey in year 10 thanks to a VET-in-schools pathway.

Now completing year 12 and a Certificate III in Health Services Assistance, she will gain a qualification that allows her to work in an acute-care environment.

Unfortunately, Gabriella experienced severe anxiety during high school, resulting in a profound disconnect with the environment as a whole, but VET commenced a pivotal shift in her learning journey and, ultimately, her life. The anxiety was still there but Gabriella was charged with a new sense of purpose. “Possibly for the first time ever, I felt secure about my future.” The qualification has helped her overcome anxiety and reconnected her with school. The fact that she will also graduate with an ATAR is a testament to how far she’s come.

Organisation Awards Winners

2024 NSW Industry Collaboration Award

Winner: ARC Training and Civic Disability Services

Collaboration Title: Support Employee Program

Promoting lifelong learning and economic empowerment for individuals with disabilities, the Support Employee Program is transforming lives. Born of a collaboration between Civic Disability Services (Civic) and ARC Training (ARC), the Support Employee Program delivers exemplary training while instilling a sense of agency and dignity in all participants.

While opportunities for individuals with disabilities are accessible, the availability of full Certificate III qualifications has been limited. The Support Employee Program Certificate III in Retail was developed to bridge this gap.

The Support Employee Program’s holistic approach, encompassing technical competencies and soft skills, provides participants with a comprehensive toolkit for success in their roles and beyond. This newfound proficiency has driven greater confidence and ignited a ripple effect of positivity company-wide, promoting a culture of excellence.

Since the Support Employee Program’s inception, three people have successfully completed accredited training, with 23 students currently pursuing qualifications.

By championing diversity and recognising the immense talent and potential within this often-overlooked demographic, the Support Employee Program is reshaping perceptions and fostering a more inclusive society for all.

2024 NSW Large Employer of the Year

Winner: NSW State Emergency Service

The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) could not function without training.

Devoted to providing assistance 24/7, 365 days a year, SES comprises of more than 10,000 volunteers across NSW. United by their desire to help, with huge diversity in skill and experience levels, these volunteers require meticulous training – in some cases their lives depend on it.

SES takes immense pride in training – it’s an RTO with a team of 1722 trainers, supported by an Operational Capability and Training team that designs and develops its materials. The team is currently looking into the use of Virtual Reality to further its commitment to equity in training.

The scale and significance of SES’s training efforts are hard to ignore. In 2023 alone, SES trained 36,534 members, with 29,408 completions. SES states that without this training, requests for help could not be responded to. For context, during the 2022/2023 financial year alone, SES members responded to 47,210 incident requests.

2024 NSW Small Employer of the Year

Winner: Early Childhood & Co Services Pty Ltd

With more than 60 employees across two facilities, Early Childhood & Co Services has found a rigorous and consistent approach to training essential. And with 15 nominations in recent Early Childhood Excellence Awards – winning two years back to back – this approach clearly works.

The awards don’t stop there. Several of the company’s team members have won NSW Training Awards across various categories.

But awards aren’t the only metric of success for Early Childhood & Co Services. Just this year, the service featured in an international textbook to train future educators in best practice and play-based learning.

Early Childhood & Co Services links these successes to a passion for professional development. One that drives the company to develop its own training programs to help its own educators, as well as other groups within the community.

The team has found that training not only boosts staff retention, but also helps perpetuate innovative thinking at every level, instilling passion that encourages educators to pursue lifelong learning. Training builds the business for the future.

2024 NSW Large Training Provider of the Year

Winner: Mines Rescue Pty Ltd

Efficacy of Mines Rescue’s training goes far beyond student satisfaction, it could be the difference between life and death.

The goal of all Mine Rescue’s training is to support a culture of zero harm by building workers’ competence. And, considering the NSW coal industry maintains one of the highest safety records in the world for a hazardous sector, this RTO is exceeding its goals.

Mine Rescue boasts a team of nationally accredited trainers and assessors with decades of technical experience in mining operations. When coupled with its purpose-built training facilities that utilise a mix of virtual reality and real-world equipment so trainees can fight actual fires, use breathing apparatuses and respond to hazard simulations, the all-encompassing approach clear.

With a 97.89% satisfaction rating from 5,565 respondents in 2023, Mine Rescue has also garnered industry-wide recognition – it was highly commended for ‘Best Blended Learning Solution’ at the 2023 Australian Institute of Training and Development awards.

Special Industry Awards Winners

2024 Women in Trades

Winner: Jacinta Ferris

Qualification: Certificate III in Electrotechnology Electrician

Trained by: TAFE NSW

Employed by: AGL Macquarie

Region: Hunter & Central Coast Region

Jacinta Ferris knew she wanted to work with her hands. Now, as a qualified Electrician, she has achieved more than she ever dreamed and is inspiring others to do the same.

Thrilled to be connected to an apprenticeship, Jacinta encountered some outdated attitudes. But rather than letting naysayers pull her down, Jacinta found greater fuel to succeed. “They only made me more determined to become an Electrician,” she says.

Previously a Disability Support Worker, Jacinta was plunged into an entirely new realm of skill development. The transition was huge, but so was the rise in her abilities.

As one of the first members of the Women in Trades group, she generously offered to assist anyone in any stage of their apprenticeship with advice and support.

Jacinta’s now landed her dream job on the biggest coal mine in NSW and is loving her ability to do all the electrical work on her home renovation – she’s saving a fortune!