An Awards evening organised by the Central Grampians LLEN Local Community Partnership was held on Monday 22nd October, 2007, to recognise the contribution of employers, students and community members who had made exceptional contributions to vocational programs in 2007.

‘It is important that we support young people and employers who demonstrate a commitment to student vocational pathways’.

David Wheaton (C.E.O.) and Belinda Healy (Programs Manager) from the Central Grampians LLEN were impressed with the number of people who attended on the night and their enthusiasm for vocational programs in the region. Ms Healy said ‘It is important that we support young people and employers who demonstrate a commitment to student vocational pathways and the awards are a great way of doing this’.

Award recipients were nominated by Local Community Partnership staff and representatives from the Pyrenees Grampians VET Cluster of schools (Ararat Community College, Lake Bolac College, Marian College and Stawell Secondary College), and those associated with Vocational Education and Training in Schools (VETiS), Structured Workplace Learning (SWL) and School Based Apprenticeships (SBA) within the Central Grampians Region.

Employers awarded on the night were:
Bartco., East Grampians Health Service, Jack and Jill Kindergarten, St. Andrews Kindergarten, Blue Cameo Hair Salon, Ararat Retirement Village, Ararat Y.M.C.A., Stawell Joinery, Northern Grampians Shire Council Childrens Services, P.S. & J.D. Baker Automotive.

Awards were presented to students who had demonstrated dedication and commitment to a vocational pathway. They were:
From Marian College: Jake Patterson (Certificate II Automotive), Grace Reid (Certificate II Equine Studies).
Stawell Secondary College: Jorah Margetson and Jordan Mackley ( Certificate II Engineering).
Ararat Community College: Jason Grellet (Certificate II Automotive), Ross Colley and Brady Turner ( Certificate II Building and Construction), Jared Price (Certificate II Engineering), Thea Hinchliffe, Holly Boyd, Jessica Welsh and Racheal Murray ( Certificate II Equine), Angie Ruddle (Certificate II Retail).
Partnership VCAL program: Melanie Phillips (Introduction to Community Services).

Certificates of appreciation were also given to Community members who volunteered their time to assist with Local Community Partnership programs throughout the year.

Those attending were impressed with the samples of student work on display at Gum San’s Great Hall, which included a model house from the Building and Construction class, bottles of Wine from Food Processing (Wine) and several items from the Engineering classes including a model windmill and a full size motorbike loading ramp. Entertainment for was provided by VET Music students who, along with their teacher Malcolm Haig, make up the bush band Wallaby Stew.

Speakers included Trevor Wollard form Bartco, a local employer who has been involved in hosting students on Work Experience and Structured Workplace Learning as well as employing School Based and full time apprentices.

Those attending were impressed with the samples of student work

Angie Ruddle, a Certificate II Retail student from Ararat Community College, spoke about how her VET studies and Structured Workplace Learning had allowed her to continue with her VCE studies while taking advantage of on the job training. She thanked her host employer, Jax Clothing in Ararat, for providing her with valuable experiences such as a trip to Melbourne to help choose stock for the store.

Jordan Mackley who is studying a Certificate II in Engineering at Stawell Secondary College said the program had given him valuable skills to take forward into employment.

Ararat Rural City Mayor, Ian Wilson, gave out the awards and congratulated all participants on their commitment to participating in the variety of education and training options for young people in the region.