Posted 21 September 2022 by Catholic Education in News
The inaugural Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong (CEDoW) Vocation Education and Training (VET) Awards ceremony, celebrating excellence in VET across both systemic and congregational schools within the diocese and Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), was held on Thursday 15 September.
Jackson Losciuto, St Joseph's Catholic High School, Albion Park was awarded VET Student of the Year, while Zara Williams, also from St Joseph's, was awarded School based Trainee (SBAT) of the Year, and Allison Pace, St Mary Star of the Sea College, Wollongong named VET Trainer of the Year.
Christina Desmond, CEDoW VET RTO Manager, said the annual awards provided an opportunity to celebrate the wonderful achievements and hard work of both students and trainers.
"Our VET trainers are all hard working teachers, who go above and beyond to deliver high quality training in nationally recognised qualifications, and therefore it is my great pleasure to take this opportunity to recognise them through these annual RTO VET awards," she said.
The event held at the Marian Centre, Wollongong was attended by Peter Hill, Director of Schools; members of the CEDoW leadership team; nominated students and their families; secondary school principals; VET coordinators and nominated trainers, along with the event sponsors. In a highlight during the event, former students shared stories of their VET journey with guests, reflecting on how the VET program had influenced their post school pathways.
Currently, over 1100 students access a VET course as part of their Catholic education in the Diocese of Wollongong, which helps support their transition to post-school work and tertiary education by providing authentic, skills-based learning for a fast-changing world that can contribute positively to both a students' HSC and ATAR, and open up valuable post-school pathways.
Peter Hill, Director of Schools said, “The awards are the perfect platform to showcase Catholic education’s commitment to VET as an industry partner, and to acknowledge the best practice and quality of our registered training organisation.”
“These awards reflect the ongoing commitment of VET teachers to meet the needs of students through the delivery of high-quality VET training,” he said.
“And to our students, these awards provide a unique opportunity to celebrate your achievements as you continue to develop the skills and knowledge for the jobs of today and those that don’t yet exist.”
Ten VET trainers and eleven student finalists received excellence in VET awards for their nominated framework.
Please see below the full list of award winners.
VET Student framework winners of 2022
Business Services | Jaime Johnston | |
Construction | Jackson Losciuto | St Joseph's Catholic High School, Albion Park |
Electrotechnology | Zachary Heiler | |
Entertainment | Alicia Mason |
St Mary Star of the Sea College, Wollongong |
Fitness | Matthew Latta |
St Gregory's College, Campbelltown |
Kitchen Operations | Nathan Secheny | |
Hospitality | Gabriel Nicolasora | |
Manufacturing & Engineering | Jack Worthington |
Edmund Rice College, West Wollongong |
Primary Industries | Mitch Alexander | Chevalier College, Bowral |
Retail | Lucas Braithwaite |
St Gregory's College, Campbelltown |
VET trainer framework winners of the 2022 VET awards
Business Services | Erin Atanasovski |
Corpus Christi Catholic High School, Oak Flats |
Construction | David Cavanagh |
Corpus Christi Catholic High School, Oak Flats |
Electrotechnology | Mark Hamlet | Holy Spirit College, Bellambi |
Entertainment | Lisa Lockett | St Mary Star of the Sea College, Wollongong |
Fitness | Jack Lopez |
St John the Evangelist Catholic High School, Nowra |
School Kitchen Operations | Allison Pace | St Mary Star of the Sea College, Wollongong |
Hospitality | Andre Daniels |
Mt Carmel Catholic College, Varroville |
Manufacturing & Engineering | Andrew Brooks | Edmund Rice College, West Wollongong |
Primary Industries | Hayley Mahoney |
St Gregory's College, Campbelltown |
Retail | Maria Santos | St Gregory's College, Campbelltown |
Major awards
VET Student of the Year | Jackson Losciuto | St Joseph's Catholic High School, Albion Park |
School Based Trainee (SBAT) of the Year | Zara Williams | St Joseph's Catholic High School, Albion Park |
VET Trainer of the Year | Allison Pace | St Mary Star of the Sea College, Wollongong |
We congratulate both students and staff on their outstanding achievements and wish them the very best with their future endeavours.