WISE sponsors new Young Inspirational Leadership Award at the Northern Melbourne Vocational Education (VET) Awards

The Northern Melbourne VET Awards were held on Thursday 21 February at Darebin Arts and Entertainment Centre in Preston. The awards are designed to recognise and celebrate the wonderful achievements of students and acknowledge the important role that industry plays in supporting positive pathways for young people.

It is an initiative of Local Community Partnership providers, Banyule/Nillumbik LLEN, Career Connections and Regional Career Adviser – Australian Industry Group and is part of the Career Advice Australia Initiative.

Community Liaison Officer, Nicole Findlay was the Master of Ceremonies for the evening, which saw 80 young people from the Northern Region of Melbourne, presented with awards in the 20 different program areas.

WISE Employment was the proud sponsor of a new award, introduced this year, called the Young Inspirational Leadership Award, which recognises a student who has overcome major obstacles in their life, risen above those challenges and shown great leadership to achieve those goals.

The award was presented to Dales Jones from Roxburgh Secondary College, by Northcote Site manager Judi Stevens. Dale has a vision impairment, yet has persevered with his passion for VET Furnishing and does not allow his significant disability to impede his drive for successful outcomes.

“Dale is an outstanding student who, despite having a vision impairment (bordering on legal blindness) has persevered with great enthusiasm, diligence and commitment to achieve excellent success – not only in VET furnishings, but in all his subjects,” said Nicole.

The event attracted over 500 guests, who were entertained by music from students at Pascoe Vale Secondary College and Whittlesea Secondary College Band. A unique element of the evening was the couch style interviews with previous VET students.

“One of the highlights of the evening was the couch style interviews,” said Nicole. “The stories of these young people were conveyed in a comfortable setting that definitely engaged the audience.”

The night was a huge success!!