Student Pathway News
By Mrs Alison Porter, Career Development Practitioner
Congratulations!
We would like to congratulate Jacob Darker and Glen Jhon Cruda, our newest school-based trainees.
Jacob is now completing the Certificate III in Dental Assisting. Assumption College would like to thank Southern Downs Dental for providing Jacob with this opportunity.
Glen Jhon Cruda impressed Spiller Constructions so much at work experience last year that they offered him a school-based apprenticeship in carpentry. A great recognition to both Jacob and Glen.
The Queensland Training Awards
Across fourteen categories, these annual awards recognise individuals and organisations that strive for and have achieved success, best practice and innovation in vocational education and training (VET). The awards showcase all that's great about VET in Queensland, with categories for apprentices, trainees, vocational students, teachers, and trainers, as well as training providers and employers.
VET students (including school-based trainees and apprentices) can nominate themselves, someone else or an organisation. The fourteen award categories include:
- apprentices and trainees
- vocational students
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
- school-based apprentices and trainees
- VET teachers and trainers
- community training initiatives
- employers of all sizes
- training providers
- industry collaborations.
I encourage our VET students and our partnered local businesses to nominate for these awards. Nominations close 31 March 2022 and more information can be found at https://desbt.qld.gov.au/training/qta.
Our very own Changemaker!
In November 2021, Isabel Natividad was selected from hundreds of applicants to attend the Young Changemakers Program at the University of Queensland in Brisbane. The program ran from 30th November to 2nd December 2021 and provided over 200 Young Changemakers with an opportunity to experience living on Campus at Kings College and attend a range of workshops and activities.
The program involved a range of workshops and a project to be completed to introduce Ideas that Create Change. Workshops involved learning about Embracing the Problem, How to Develop Meaningful Ideas, Creating Powerful Solutions and How to Communicate with Impact, and How to Make the Perfect Pitch.
Young Changemakers were divided into a range of teams who were supported by current UQ Students who acted as mentors during the three-day program. Isabel’s team was focused on Healthcare’s Hidden Heroes, a Biotechnology and Engineering project. The team first learned from Dr Mark Allenby as he explained current approaches to grow blood within the laboratory using biomedical engineering, tissue engineering, and stem cells. The team was then broken into smaller groups and tasked with the job of designing a blood manufacturing platform to provide fresh blood to sick patients.
Isabel’s team was selected to present their idea on the final day of the program to an audience of over 200, and a prestigious panel of judges that included an entrepreneur, who had attended UQ, and University of Queensland lecturers and staff. Isabel and her team were awarded the 'Best Pitch' for the program.
It was a wonderful opportunity to meet new friends with shared interests, create solutions to the world’s challenges, as well as practice collaboration and leadership skills. Isabel thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to gain new skills and make connections with University of Queensland staff and mentors, presenters, and other Young ChangeMakers from across Australia.
