19 October 2021
Two of our student Ambassadors and 2021 WA Training Awards winners have been recognised as finalists for the upcoming Australian Training Awards, to be held in Perth next month.
Kevin Wilson, was announced as a finalist for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year award with Courtney Short announced as a finalist for the Australian School-based Apprentice or Trainee of the Year Award.
Kevin, who completed a Diploma of Graphic Design with us, has since started his own design company, Nani Creative.
“NMTAFE has helped me to find my calling and set a direction for my life,” he said.
“I’ve been interested and inspired by art since I was a kid and fell into the world of graffiti as a teen. I thought it was the coolest thing seeing these people who knew nothing about composition, and colour theory, create these amazingly produced works.”
“After a few years, and a few too many run-ins with the police, I decided that I couldn’t keep going down that path, so I signed up at North Metropolitan TAFE.”
Throughout high school, Courtney had assumed that she would complete her ATAR, however, a Year 10 Information Night changed her mind.
After hearing about the success of a Year 12 student who was completing a school-based apprenticeship, Courtney elected to pursue her passion for cooking and began her Certificate III in Commercial Cookery at our Joondalup campus while in Year 11.
Winners of the 2021 Australian Training Awards will be announced in Perth on Thursday 18 November.
Finalists
Kevin Wilson, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year
Kevin Wilson is a Wongi man from the Goldfields region of Western Australia and a co-founder of Nani Creative, a graphic design partnership specialising in design for projects promoting Aboriginal tourism, culture, business and community initiatives.
Kevin has always been inspired by art and as a teenager was drawn to doing graffiti. He decided to enrol in a TAFE course where he found his passion for Graphic Design.
Kevin says the lecturers at NMTAFE changed his life.
Courtney Short, Australian School-based Apprentice or Trainee of the Year
Courtney Short chose to pursue her love for cooking and commenced a Certificate III in Commercial Cookery at NMTAFE while in Year 11.
Courtney chose to study Commercial Cookery, as from a young age she loved being in the kitchen - if she wasn’t cooking, she was watching her Mum in the kitchen, and shared a passion for creating meals with her Nan.
Throughout high school she had assumed that she would complete her ATAR. However, at a Year 10 Information Night, she heard about the success of a Year 12 student who was completing a school-based apprenticeship and changed her goals.
Courtney could not be happier with the decision she made to pursue a VET pathway.
Pictured:
(left) Courtney Short - Finalist, Australian School-based Apprentice or Trainee of the Year;
(right) Kevin Wilson - Finalist, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year