Feature articles

More than 600 people gathered at the Grand Chancellor in Hobart to pay tribute to the achievements of Tasmania’s top VET students, employers and training providers for 2004.

Tasmania’s Training Awards are the pinnacle of achievement in Tasmania’s vocational education and training sector. Winners of the five student awards were:

• David Ringsgwandl - Apprentice of the Year
• Ryan Manktelow - Trainee of the Year
• Jodie Mather - Vocational Student of the Year
• Dianne Cook - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year
• Steven Butler - Tasmanian VET in Schools Student of the Year

When set the task of designing and building an electric scooter in just four days in the WorldSkills world titles, Andrew Moore from Deloraine and his two Australian team mates took on the challenge—and won!

Andrew brought home a gold medal for the Manufacturing Team Challenge from the competitions held in Helsinki, Finland, a long way from his home where he works as a fitter and turner.

Hayden Caine, a refrigeration mechanic from Howrah, won a medallion of excellence in the refrigeration and air-conditioning division.

Competition is a great way to develop team spirit and encourage innovation. This thinking was behind the inaugural Salamanca Six-hour Human-powered Vehicle Trial and Bike Expo coordinated by Rosny College.

Teams from seven schools and colleges entered the race each having designed and built their three-wheeled, pedal-powered vehicle. Student teams had worked for months, applying to their creations the skills and knowledge learnt from subjects such as materials and design, graphic design and electronics.

Teams of up to six students took turns to pedal the race. Rosny prevailed in the college division and Campania District High won the high school division.

Burnie-based Caterpillar Elphinstone, a world leader in the development and manufacturing of underground mining equipment, was one of the 20 innovative Tasmanian manufacturing companies participating in two industry open days this year.

The open days held in the south and north-west of the state, sought to show students how interesting a career in manufacturing can be.

Providing a first hand introduction to manufacturing operations, the open days gave students an overview of the many employment choices available in manufacturing.