Thursday, 1 August 2024

Ministers statements: Victorian Training Awards

Gayle TIERNEY (Western Victoria – Minister for Skills and TAFE, Minister for Regional Development) (12:10): We are celebrating the outstanding achievers of our vocational training system, with finalists recently announced for the 70th annual Victorian Training Awards. The Victorian Training Awards celebrate Victoria’s world-class apprentices, students, teachers, trainers, TAFEs and employers. Congratulations to all 40 finalists from right across Victoria. These include three world-class finalists who have been nominated for Apprentice of the Year: Bonnie, Trey and Matt.

Bonnie Inkster is following her dream to work in motorsports as an apprentice at a leading Australian motor-racing team. Starting with a trade course with the Bendigo Kangan Institute’s Docklands Automotive Centre of Excellence, Bonnie is now fabricating parts for supercars thanks to the certificate III in engineering fabrication from Chisholm Institute.

Trey McAuley is completing a certificate III in carpentry at the Gordon TAFE, following a family tradition of a career in trade. 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.

While completing his biomedicine degree at uni, Matt Tyquin realised he wanted a hands-on career like his high school job cleaning at Ashburton Meats. So right afterwards he started an apprenticeship with William Angliss Institute and found his way back to Ashburton, this time as a butcher. Matt even took home the title of World Champion Butcher Apprentice at the World Butchers’ Challenge in the US in 2022.

I want to wish good luck to all of these fantastic finalists and congratulate them on their well-deserved recognition.