Highlights

Apprentice of the Year - Melton Business Award

In year ten Samantha Vella wanted to leave school as soon as possible, she was sixteen and was "over" school. However, after undertaking work experience with YouthNow her whole perception of education changed. Samantha put in the hard yards, completed her Australian School based Apprenticeship with YouthNow and successfully graduated from year 12 in 2010.

Samantha is now continuing her traineeship with YouthNow by studying a Diploma in Business while working full time with the organisation. She is making a successful career out of helping others and ensuring other young people get the same opportunities that she has.

The Melton Business Award's Apprentice of the Year award was sponsored by the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and along with the title Samantha received a highly valued congratulatory letter from the PM.   

Congratulations Sam, well done!

Western Metropolitan Region Education & Industry Awards

The  highly polished sounds of Werribee Secondary College greeted winners and guests to the 11th Western Region Industry & Education Awards at Club Italia on March 17, 2011. Over 40 awards were presented recognizing individual and team achievement in Vocational Education & Training (VET), Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL), and School- based Apprenticeships and Traineeships.

The regional Outstanding Student Achievement award for 2010 went to Melkie Kiflu from Werribee Community & Education Centre. The selection committee said that his passion and determination to succeed leaped from the pages of the nomination form and that they could clearly see his is commitment  to a vocational pathway in the auto industry.

Craig Rowley, Manager of Business Projects at LeadWest, opened the evening in an address that stressed the importance of industry involvement in the education of the next work force. His own experiences highlighted the importance of taking advantage of the many opportunities that are available to young people.

The evening also highlighted two previous award winners who had done just that. Natalie Rigoni and Yel Mayer returned to the event to shared their stories of what they’re doing since leaving school. Natalie is now studying a triple degree at Victoria University and sits as a member of the Committee of Management of her former education provider Werribee Community & Education Centre. Yel has followed the vocational pathway he started at Mowbray College. He is studying for a Bachelor of Engineering also at VU.

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development are the main sponsors of the event with support also provided by VISY, Victoria University, Kangan Institute, YouthNow and Concept Fasteners. Each award carries a $200 prize, provided by a host of local businesses and community organisations.

The night was a great opportunity for family and friends, schools and businesses, and the broader community to celebrate the wonderful achievements of our young people and wish them well in their future endeavors.  

Local businesses and organisations that sponsor the separate awards:

Employer Champion Awards

Twenty seven businesses across Melbourne’s West gained the title of Employer Champion at a cocktail party at Rosleyn Court, Essendon on December the 6th, 2010.

The YouthNow Employer Champion awards recognised local businesses that have hosted significant numbers of senior school students during 2010 for work placement and work experience. The night’s winners were selected from more than seventy businesses that had been nominated by the schools they have supported.

In Moonee Valley Mayor Cr. John Sipek’s opening speech he agreed that these businesses should be recognised for their vision and commitment, commenting that they are “displaying outstanding leadership in their community”.

Moonee Valley Cr. Giuliano set the tone for the night with a heartening story about his support of a young worker in his building business that was set to fail his apprenticeship. Defending the employee at a vital moment in his training meant that his business now has a dedicated and productive staff member. He acknowledged that “If not for employers some kids would fail”.

Award recipients came with their own stories. Anderson Road Early Child Care told us of the fun the kids at the centre and the students have together, and how students come back to visit them.

A more sobering but an equally warming image was created by the Store Manager of Kmart Moonee Ponds who hosts Ascot Vale Special School students. He told us that he sets the tone from the beginning that “this is a real job” situation to be taken very seriously. Casual employment is one of the out comes for these students.

Moonee Valley City Council, which itself has hosted 12 students in its various work units over the past year, was a welcome major sponsor of the awards. Further support came from Brimbank CC, Maribyrnong CC, the Shire of Melton and the three Western Metropolitan Region Local Learning Employment Networks MMV, Brimbank&Melton and WynBay.

Contact Tania Sacco at YouthNow for more information, tania@youthnow.org.au

Awards Gallery