Nominees must:

• be an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia and undertaking training in New South Wales;
• have completed or due to complete your training (i.e. contract end date) between 1 June 2024—31 May 2025 in a training course that leads to a nationally recognised outcome or qualification relevant to the award you are applying for;
• have a registered training contract with the NSW Department of Education;
• not still be enrolled in school;
• only be nominated by one nominator;
• supply your Training Contract ID (TCID) number on your application; and
• must not be nominated in subsequent years for the same training contract.

*Note: this refers to the completion date on the training contract. If the nominee has completed early through competency-based completion, evidence of this early completion must be attached to the online application.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria PDF

For more information, download NSW Apprentice of the Year Eligibility and Selection Criteria (PDF).

Nominees must:

• be an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia and undertaking training in New South Wales;
• have completed or due to complete your training (ie: contract end date) between 1 June 2024—31 May 2025 in a training course that leads to a nationally recognised outcome or qualification relevant to the award you are applying for;
• have a registered training contract with the NSW Department of Education;
• not still be enrolled in school;
• only be nominated by one nominator;
• supply your Training Contract ID (TCID) number on your application; and
• must not be nominated in subsequent years for the same training contract.

*Note: this refers to the completion date on the training contract. If the nominee has completed early through competency-based completion, evidence of this early completion must be attached to the online application.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria PDF

For more information, download Trainee of the Year Eligibility and Selection Criteria (PDF).

Nominees must:

• be an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia;
• reside in New South Wales;
• be a full-time or part-time student who is not undertaking an apprenticeship or traineeship;
• have completed or due to complete your training (ie: training end date) between 1 June 2024—31 May 2025 in a training course that leads to a nationally recognised outcome or qualification relevant to the award you are applying for;
• not still be enrolled in school;
• only be nominated by one nominator;
• must not be nominated in subsequent years for the same qualification.

*Note: this refers to the completion date on the vocational course/certificate. If the nominee has completed early through competency-based completion, evidence of this early completion must be attached to the online application.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria PDF

For more information, download Vocational Student of the Year Eligibility and Selection Criteria (PDF).

Nominees must:

• identify as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent;
• meet the eligibility for one of the following individual award categories

Please refer to the eligibility under each award:

• Apprentice of the Year
• Trainee of the Year
• Vocational Student of the Year
• School-based Apprentice/Trainee of the Year

Eligibility and Selection Criteria PDF

For more information, download Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year Eligibility and Selection Criteria (PDF).

To be eligible for this award, the nominee must currently be enrolled at school and still enrolled in 2025. If the nominee is no longer attending school and has completed a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship, the nominee may be eligible for nomination in another NSW Training Awards category, including Apprentice of the Year; Trainee of the Year or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year if all eligibility criteria is met.

If the qualification is not attained through a School-based Apprenticeship or Traineeship, the nominee is eligible to enter into the VET in Schools Student of the Year Award category.

Nominees must:

• be an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia and undertaking training in New South Wales;
• be undertaking/completing a Certificate II or above qualification through a School-based Apprenticeship or Traineeship;
• have a registered training contract with the NSW Department of Education;
• be still enrolled at school in 2025 (if you are no longer enrolled at school, you may be eligible to be nominated in another category if all eligibility criteria are met); and
• only be nominated by one nominator.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria PDF

For more information, download School-based Apprentice/Trainee of the Year Eligibility and Selection Criteria (PDF).

Nominees must:

• be an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia and undertaking training in New South Wales;
• be undertaking accredited vocational education and training as part of their HSC studies;
• be still enrolled at school in 2025
• not be undertaking a School-based Apprenticeship or Traineeship; and
• only be nominated by one nominator.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria PDF

For more information, download VET in Schools Student of the Year Eligibility and Selection Criteria (PDF).

Nominees must:

• be an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia;
• be a qualified (as determined by the Standards for Registered Training Organisations 2015;) trainer/teacher employed (or regularly contracted) by an RTO;
• have delivered training in New South Wales from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2025 which will lead/has led to nationally recognised qualifications or Statements of Attainment under the Australian Qualifications Framework national training system (excludes online delivery, unless a NSW resident; and
• must not have been selected as the NSW VET Trainer/Teacher of the Year winner from the previous year. A one year gap must be present.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria PDF

For more information, download VET Trainer/Teacher of the Year Eligibility and Selection Criteria (PDF).

To be considered a large training provider, your organisation must:

• have 500 or more students enrolled at the time of nomination, as reported in the most recent annual National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) data collection period (If this criterion is not met, nominees may be eligible to apply for the Small Training Provider of the Year Award)
• be a Registered Training Organisation for which the delivery of vocational education and training is the core business; and
• nominate if the majority of their training is being delivered in NSW (Organisations may only nominate for this category in a single state or territory. In addition, only one nomination will be accepted per RTO code)

Note: To maintain the integrity of the NSW Training Awards, applicants to the Large Training Provider of the Year Award will be subject to quality assurance checks by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), and/or the applicable regulatory authority in NSW. The checks will inform the selection process of applicants and finalists to this award category.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria PDF

For more information, download Large Training Provider of the Year Eligibility and Selection Criteria (PDF).

To be considered a small training provider, your organisation must:

• have less than 500 students enrolled at the time of nomination, as reported in the most recent annual National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) data collection period (If this criterion is not met, nominees may be eligible to apply for the Large Training Provider of the Year Award)
• be a registered training organisation for which the delivery of vocational education and training is the core business; and
• nominate if the majority of their training is being delivered in NSW (Organisations may only nominate for this category in a single state or territory. In addition, only one nomination will be accepted per RTO code).

Note: To maintain the integrity of the NSW Training Awards, applicants to the Large Training Provider of the Year Award will be subject to quality assurance checks by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), and/or the applicable regulatory authority in NSW. The checks will inform the selection process of applicants and finalists to this award category.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria PDF

For more information, download Small Training Provider of the Year Eligibility and Selection Criteria (PDF).

To nominate for the Industry Collaboration Award:

• at least one party must be an industry organisation (e.g. employer, enterprise, group of enterprises, industry association, industry advisory body, trade union or professional association);
• at least one party must be delivering nationally recognised training or directly contributing to the outcomes of nationally recognised training which leads to formal qualifications or Statements of Attainment under the Australian Qualifications Framework

Please note that nominations will not be accepted from organisations operating under contractual ‘partnership' agreements.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria PDF

For more information, download Industry Collaboration Award Eligibility and Selection Criteria (PDF).

To be considered a large employer:

• Organisations must be registered in Australia, with an Australian Business Number
• Deliver nationally recognised vocational education and training to their employees that leads to formal qualifications or Statements of Attainment issued by a Registered Training Organisation under the Australian Qualifications Framework
• Employ 100 or more full-time equivalent (FTE) employees*

*An organisation with less than 100 employees in NSW (including full-time, part-time and casual equivalents) are considered small employer organisations.

NSW Training Awards will accept joint applications from:

• Joint applications are accepted from a partnership between a single Host Employer and a Group Training Organisation. Host Employers or Group Training Organisations who nominate for the award are required to have their partner agree to the nomination, however there is no requirement to jointly write the nomination.

NSW Training Awards will not accept joint applications from:

• organisations whose core business is the delivery of vocational education and training (these organisations may consider nominating for either the Large or Small Training Provider of the Year Award).

Eligibility and Selection Criteria PDF

For more information, download Large Employer of the Year Eligibility and Selection Criteria (PDF).

To be considered a small employer:

• Organisations must be registered in Australia, with an Australian Business Number
• Deliver nationally recognised vocational education and training to their employees that leads to formal qualifications or Statements of Attainment issued by a Registered Training Organisation under the Australian Qualifications Framework
• Employ less than 100 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees*

*An organisation with 100 employees or more in NSW (including full-time, part-time and casual equivalents) are considered large employer organisations.

NSW Training Awards will accept joint applications from:

• Joint applications are accepted from a partnership between a single Host Employer and a Group Training Organisation. Host Employers or Group Training Organisations who nominate for the award are required to have their partner agree to the nomination, however there is no requirement to jointly write the nomination.

NSW Training Awards will not accept joint applications from:

• Organisations whose core business is the delivery of vocational education and training (these organisations may consider nominating for either the Large or Small Training Provider of the Year Award).

Eligibility and Selection Criteria PDF

For more information, download Small Employer of the Year Eligibility and Selection Criteria (PDF).