Victorian VET Client Service/Support Excellence Award
Category information
The Victorian VET Client Service/Support Excellence Award is presented to a staff member, or team/group of staff for a demonstrated outstanding contribution to the enhancement of educational success in vocational education and training. Nominations can be made by Registered Training Organisations, client organisations, colleagues, professional bodies and networks, and students.The winner is awarded $10,000 and is recognised as the best in Victoria’s world class training system.
Please note that this award will not be presented at a national level and winners will not progress through to the 2011 Australian Training Awards.
Eligibility and Conditions
Candidates for the award:
- must be staff employed in administrative or specialist non-teaching activities by a Registered Training Organisation for all or part of the period between 1 July 2010 – 30 June 2011.
- may be individuals, teams or groups of special support staff.
- must also agree to the full Conditions of Entry.
Preparing your application
- Applications are to be in 12 pt font and a maximum of five (5) A4 pages plus five (5) pages in attachments (no more than 10 pages in total). Any material in excess of 10 pages will not be forwarded to the judging panel.
- The award criteria should be the focus of your application, however, any relevant evidence may be provided so long as it does not exceed the required page limit.
Section A: Overview
Give an overview of the service/support provided, a description of the environment in which the service/support is provided and specific challenges which may have had to be overcome during the course of providing the service/support.
Section B: Applicants will be judged against the following criteria
- Criterion 1: Excellence and innovation
- Criterion 2: Client focus
- Criterion 3: Professionalism and commitment to support services for VET
- Criterion 4: Understanding and reputation within the industry or community
Addressing the criteria
When developing your application against the award criteria, you may wish to take into account some of the considerations outlined below, if they are relevant to your experience. These suggestions are not additional criteria, but are provided to give clarification of what may be relevant.
Please use specific examples demonstrating excellence and innovation.
1. Excellence and innovation
Consider:
- examples of how the service/support makes a significant contribution to excellence in the field
- how the service/support addresses the needs of internal and external clients
- what is unique or innovative about the service/support provided
- whether and how the service/support improves teaching and learning for client groups.
2. Client focus
Consider:
- systems and processes for collecting information on client needs and satisfaction
- demonstrated recognition and/or acknowledgement from clients, students, and colleagues
- any specialist support provided for students with special needs, such as Indigenous students, students with disabilities, students from a non-English speaking background, students in remote areas, gifted and talented students.
3. Professionalism and commitment to support services for VET
Consider:
- demonstrated efficiency, accuracy and timeliness in dealing with customer enquiries
- contribution to performance enhancement efforts such as professional development of other staff, acting as mentors, guides or models for others; and enhanced service/support provision
- contribution to achieving VET system priorities
- demonstrated ability to work outside area of experience
- how the individual or team engage with other professionals to improve the standard of service/support provided to clients.
4. Understanding and reputation within the industry or community
Consider:
- ways in which the delivery of the service/support helps to form and build new relationships
- how the individual or team contribute in conferences, seminars and professional and industry associations
- demonstrated recognition and/or acknowledgement from industry and community associations
- demonstrated examples of any contributions to knowledge sharing, mentoring and coaching activities.
What assistance can I get to write my application?
A seminar to assist nominees to write effective applications will be held on Wednesday 6 April 2011 at 4.30pm at Treasury Theatre, Lower Plaza, 1 Macarthur Street.
Checklists
Nomination Checklist
When completing your application, check that you:
- Meet all of the eligibility requirements for the category;
- Use 12 point fonts only;
- Keep to ten (10) A4 pages including attachments;
- Directly address the criteria in your written application;
- Read and agree to conditions of entry;
- Meet the deadline of 6 May 2011 at 5pm (date all applications need to be received);
- Submit online
Criteria Checklist
Have you answered all of the following criteria?
- Criterion 1: Excellence and innovation
- Criterion 2: Client focus
- Criterion 3: Professionalism and commitment to support services for VET
- Criterion 4: Understanding and reputation within the industry or community
2010 Finalists
| Name | |
|---|---|
| Pauline Farrell | Box Hill Institute of TAFE |
| Brad Beach | GippsTAFE |
| Cathy Clark | Centre for Excellence for Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE |
A complete list of past winners and finalists can be found on the Past Awards page.