Inspiring stories from this year’s WA Training Awards highlights how significant vocational education and training, changes lives.
A former oceanographer, restaurateur, administrator, salesperson and truck driver turned to vocational education and training to find careers they were passionate about and secured an award win in the process.
WA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year 2017, Kim Dick was driving trucks on mine sites when his employer encouraged him to become a trainer assessor.
Before undertaking a qualification, Kim found it difficult to turn a computer on and now he confidently operates technology including drones in the workplace and helps his children use a computer to do their homework.
Kim credits his training with empowering him to support other indigenous people to have successful mining careers.
The Training Awards were held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre on September 15, 2017 and each winner received $5,000. Kim, along with some of the other winners, will now compete at the Australian Training Awards in Canberra this November.
The WA Training Awards are presented by the Department of Training and Workforce Development and the State Training Board.