2007 Trades and Skills Teacher of the Year Awards
What this year's winners have to say:

"Winning the overall National trade teacher of the year and the Trade teacher of the year - Hospitality for 2007/2008 has enabled me to further my skills and development in the Hospitality Industry as a whole. From a teaching perspective the award has given me a refreshing confidence boost in my skills as a teacher and the confidence to develop new ideas and implement positive changes as a member of the larger TAFE NSW teaching team.  
Since winning these awards a whole new world of opportunity for professional and personal development has been created for me. I have had the unique opportunity of participating in the recent 2020 Summit in Parliament contributing my views on how education and skills development might look by the year 2020. I have received an incredible level of support and recognition from TAFE NSW – Northern Sydney Institute, the Hospitality Industry, and my colleagues and students as a whole. I have also developed my mentoring skills through encouraging other members of teaching staff to strive for personal growth and development – I guess in a way many of my colleagues and students see me as a mentor and role model for their own skill and professional development."

Marion Fitzpatrick – 2007 Australian Trades and Skills Teacher of the Year
TAFE NSW- Northern Sydney Institute

 

“Being acknowledged by ITSE for excellence in trade teaching has cemented my long standing passion for shaping the careers of our youth and developing a sound trade skills base for a sustainable and vibrant building and construction industry.
Accepting this award is also recognition of my dedicated trade teacher colleagues and the high standard of teaching and skill development practiced by the Illawarra Institutes Building and Construction trade teacher team. For us, recognition of trade teaching excellence has raised the profile of our teaching section and confirmed the value of Illawarra Institute’s trade training service provision to our students and construction enterprise partners locally and more recently internationally.
My sincere thanks go to ITSE for giving me the opportunity and avenue to be an integral part of the promotion of trade training as a viable and worthwhile career option.”

George Dragovic – 2007 Building and Construction Trade teacher of the Year-Highly Commended         
Illawarra Institute of TAFE                    

 

“This award has allowed me to continue my work in providing quality training and assessment for the Bakery industry. As a direct result of me receiving this award, I have been awarded a further $50,000 project grant from the Federal Government to continue my work in designing an on line fast track course for Bakery students.”         

Gary Sewell – 2007 Bakery Trade teacher of the Year
Hunter Institute of TAFE

 

“Winning the Conservation & Land Management Trade Teacher of the Year award has been personally rewarding and has generated considerable local Media interest (radio interviews, newspaper articles, VET magazine articles). This has helped increase the profile of Great Southern TAFE and of our Conservation & Land Management courses. Winning the award has also consolidated my belief that training (and trainers) in regional areas is equal to or better than training in larger cities. It has been fantastic to be part of a wider network, across Australia, of Trade teachers from many disciplines and I have found the SkillsOne website and newsletters to be a valuable resource for information and careers advice to students. The $5000 available for a project has lead to the continued development of a training partnership with the Forest Products Commission of WA that has yielded significant benefits to both organisations.
Thank you to the ITSE for providing the opportunity for personal and financial recognition in a teaching area that I am so passionate about.”

Andrew Nicholson – 2007 Rural and Farming Trade Teacher of the Year (Semi-Finalist)
Great Southern TAFE

 

“The widespread recognition as a result of the awards has been great personally, professionally, for the school and the cotton industry and helped highlight the skills shortage and the good news about training.”

Graeme Harris – 2007 Rural and Farming Trade Teacher of the Year (Finalist)
Farrar Memorial Agricultural High School

 

"The trade teachers award has meant a great deal to me, it has been significant in strengthening my personal sense of worth but it hasn’t just had personal impact: it has validated the work that I am passionate about and allowed me to reach beyond boundaries which I may have considered closed. I have just had official confirmation that I have been awarded a New Researcher Award to attend the NCVER 17th National conference in July and present my paper 'Supporting women in non-traditional trade’."

Fiona Shewring – 2007 Building and Construction Trade teacher of the Year (Semi-Finalist)
Illawarra Institute of TAFE          

                                                          

"It was such an honor to win the Trade Teacher of the Year (07) for Mineral Resources. As I said at my acceptance speech, I felt it was not only recognition for my work in the industry, but that I was also representing many great other great trade teachers out there in the Minerals Industry. The Award has given me many new opportunities, while also giving me the chance to encourage many others to participate in Skillsone activities. The research grant has also allowed me to focus on further contributions to this industry, as well.
In summary it was a fabulous concept to recognise people who deliver vocational education within the industry sectors, and promote how important a role VET practioners play in the innovative delivery of training in Australia."

Lesley Wemyss – 2007 Mineral Resources Trade Teacher of the Year (Finalist)
Crestfern Ltd Pty

 

"Receiving the award was certainly an honour and definitely unexpected highlight in my career.  To think that my peers and the panel of judges thought my work was important enough to be recognised at such a level is amazing.  I continue to draw upon this positive experience to remind myself when challenges seem almost impossible to overcome and the hours are long, to persevere with the values and commitment that will hopefully set the example for not only my target audience (students) but also fellow TAFE trainers".

Nicholas Viney – 2007 Manufacturing Trade teacher of the Year (Finalist)
Kangan Batman TAFE

 

“It has been an honour for me to receive the trade trainer of the year award. It is great to have been recognised for the work I have done to contribute to a skilled and safe workplace. To have my work recognised as excellence is very uplifting and inspires me to give more to the industry. The award has also inspired my fellow trainers to keep raising the bar to ensure we are industry leaders and the bench mark for other training Institutions. I am privileged to have an opportunity to go to the USA to receive specialist training as a part of my development project. This opportunity may not have been possible without winning this award. I would like to thank the Institute for this award.”

Adrian Hall – 2007 Mineral Resources Trade Teacher of the Year (Semi- Finalist)
Caterpilliar Institute (WA)

 

“To be acknowledged as Electrical Trade Teacher of the Year, was a most satisfying experience and it also adds value to what Trade teachers do in passing on their knowledge to the next generation of tradespeople.”

Dave Arnold – 2007 Electrical Trade teacher of the Year (Semi-Finalist)
TAFE NSW- Dubbo Campus

 

Click here to view the flyer for the 2008 Trades and Skills Teacher of the Year Awards

 

The Institute for Trades Skills Excellence would like to thank Victoria University for its sponsorship of the 2008 Trades and Skills Fit out and Finish Teacher of the Year Award.

The Institute also thanks Construction and Property Services Industry Skills Council for its sponsorship of the Building & Construction Trades and Skills Teacher of the Year Award.