Victoria Scores Seven Gongs At 2025 Australian Training Awards

Victoria has been recognised for its strength in vocational education and training (VET) at the 2025 Australian Training Awards (ATAs) in Darwin on Friday night, taking home seven awards.

Excellence in VET was on display at this year’s awards with Victorian student Shirley Darcy announced the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year for empowering First Nations students through her work at The Gordon Institute.

Victoria’s largest VET provider, Bendigo TAFE and Kangan Institute, won Large Training Provider of the Year. It was recognised for delivering future-focused training that equips thousands of students with skills for emerging industries and creating a job-ready workforce.

The VET sector came together at the Darwin Convention Centre to recognise apprentices, trainees, students, teachers, practitioners, employers and training providers for the 31st year of Australia’s premier training awards.

The Victorian winners and finalists will join fellow national finalists from across Australia to become ambassadors and role models for the national VET sector.

Victorian 2025 Australian Training Award recipients and winners:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year (Winner) – Shirley Darcy

This award recognises the achievement of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander student who displays a strong understanding and knowledge of the VET system and demonstrates the relevance of lifelong learning for themselves and their community.

When The Gordon Institute offered a First Nations pilot of the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, Shirley jumped at the chance. It was a life-changing experience. She is now a qualified educator, using accessible and inclusive learning environments to support the next generation of First Nations students.

Large Training Provider of the Year (Gold) – Bendigo TAFE and Kangan Institute

This category recognises large registered training organisations (RTOs) with 500 or more students that offer a range of training products and services and that demonstrate excellence and high-level performance in all aspects of VET.

With over 150 years’ experience, Bendigo Kangan Institute is one of Victoria’s largest VET providers. With nine campuses, four centres of excellence, and over 450 active industry partnerships, the RTO is shaping a highly skilled, job-ready workforce for Victoria, today and into the future.

VET Teacher/Trainer of the Year (Runner up) – Tarmi A’Vard

This award recognises innovation and excellence by a VET teacher/trainer providing nationally recognised training to students at an RTO, or in partnership with an RTO.

With 20 years in the justice sector, Tarmi was a university lecturer in criminology before joining Bendigo TAFE. Now delivering VET programs in justice and community services, Tarmi blends academic theory with real-world learning. Using flipped classrooms, simulations, and trauma-informed methods, Tarmi is creating pathways into justice careers for Victorians.

Small Training Provider of the Year (Silver) – Civil Contractors Federation Victoria

This award recognises small RTOs with fewer than 500 students that offer a range of training products and services and that demonstrate excellence and high-level performance in all aspects of VET.

Through its provision of industry-specific training and apprenticeship pathways, the Civil Contractors Federation Victoria Branch is designing workforce initiatives that create opportunities. With a strong reputation for quality, innovation, and inclusion, this ‘industry for industry’ RTO is building a skilled, job-ready workforce to meet the evolving needs of Victoria’s civil construction sector.

Australian Apprenticeships Employer (Silver) – HYDAC

This category recognises employers who have made innovative improvements in training that provide beneficial outcomes for their apprentices and/or trainees in Australia and to their local community.

As a global leader in fluid power technologies, HYDAC is committed to industrial excellence. Central to this commitment is an apprenticeship program, which it delivers in partnership with AI Group Training. As HYDAC’s apprentices develop cutting-edge skills through real-world projects, Australia’s manufacturing landscape is strengthened by a pipeline of job-ready graduates.

Large Employer of the Year (Bronze) – V/Line Corporation

This award recognises large businesses and enterprises with 100 or more full-time equivalent employees that have achieved excellence in the provision of nationally recognised training to their employees.

As a major regional employer and enterprise RTO, V/Line Corporation is building a future-ready workforce to support the Victorian Government’s investment in rail infrastructure. Through its provision of equitable and inclusive training, V/Line Corporation is on track to increase its operational capability.

Industry Collaboration Award (Bronze) – Geelong Early Engagement Social Procurement (GEESP) Program

This category recognises an exemplary skills development collaboration between at least one employer/industry body and at least one organisation delivering nationally recognised training.

This Geelong-based program is a tailored approach to tackling entrenched unemployment. The collaborative initiative models a life-changing approach to VET, embedding inclusive employment pathways within major infrastructure projects, such as the construction of the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre.

For more information on the 2025 Australian Training Awards and the winners visit the Australian Training Awards website.

Quotes attributable to Federal Minister for Skills and Training, Andrew Giles:

“I congratulate the winners and finalists of the 2025 Australian Training Awards. They’re great ambassadors for Australia’s world-leading vocational education and training sector.

“VET is the engine room delivering the skilled workforce our communities need and rely on every day in sectors as diverse as nursing, construction, manufacturing, aged care and clean energy.

“The Albanese Government is committed to strengthening the VET sector, including through our contribution of $12.6 billion over five years under the National Skills Agreement, and working with the states and territories to deliver Free TAFE, which recently marked more than 725,000 enrolments nationally.”

Quotes attributable to Victorian Minister for Skills and TAFE, Gayle Tierney:

“Congratulations to all the Victorian winners and finalists – your achievements show the strength, passion and innovation that define our state’s training system.

“We’re proud to back high-quality training because it gives Victorians the skills and support they need to get into meaningful, well-paid jobs.”