Skills Victoria

Can an organisation or an individual nominate more than one person for a particular award?

Yes, an organisation (e.g. training provider, business) or individual can nominate more than one candidate for a particular award, provided all candidates meet the eligibility criteria. Nominating more than one candidate from the same organisation for the same award means they will be competing against each other.

Can a person or organisation nominate themselves?

Yes, provided they meet the eligibility criteria.

Who can nominate candidates for the awards?

Nominations in all categories are welcome from vocational education and training (VET) providers, employers and industry, other organisations and groups in the VET system as well as individuals and the wider community.

All nominators should make sure that the person or organisation nominated meets the eligibility criteria for the Award(s).

Some examples:

Student awards

• an employer nominates one or more of their apprentices, trainees, or other employees in accredited training program.
• a training provider nominates one or more of their outstanding students (an organisation or individual can nominate more than one candidate).
• a school or registered training organisation nominates a school-based apprentice or trainee.
• a parent can nominate their son or daughter.

Other awards

• A training provider nominates a business or company for the Victorian Employer or Small Business of the Year Award.
• An industry association nominates an employer or a training provider for the relevant Award.
• A training provider, student or group of students nominates one of their teachers/trainers for the Victorian Teacher/Trainer of the Year Award.
• A training provider or program developer nominates themselves or is nominated for the Training Initiative Award.
• An employer nominates a secondary school or college for the Victorian VET in Schools Excellence Award.
• A training provider or a group of staff nominates one of their service/support staff or a team of service/support staff for the Victorian VET Client Service/Support Excellence Award.
  

I am a student and I have already completed my training course. Am I still eligible to apply for awards?

Yes, students who have completed their training course within one year prior to the date that entries open can apply for the Awards. For example, in 2009 entries open 3 March, therefore as long as you finished your course between 3 March 2008 and 3 March 2009 you are eligible to apply.

If you are applying for the Victorian School-based Apprentice of the Year Award you must have completed or be completing a Certificate III qualification or above through an Australian School-based Apprenticeship and still be enrolled in school.

Can previous winners nominate again?

Yes. Previous winners and finalists may nominate or be nominated again.

What do judges look for in a written nomination?

The written nomination is the main factor in selecting which candidates progress to the next stage of the judging process.

Here are some tips for putting together a nomination:

• The nomination must address all the assessment criteria for the Award. Nominators and candidates must read and address the criteria and take into account the considerations outlined. Judging panels consider all criteria when selecting the finalists and winners.
• It should be clear from the nomination what makes the candidate stand out against other candidates. It may be helpful to think of the nomination as an application for that highly-prized position or business contract.
• Candidates and nominators should quite specific about the candidate’s strengths in the nomination and use concrete examples. General statements such as 'I am a good team member', 'I have an understanding of industry trends' or 'training is fundamental to the success of our business' must be supported with clear evidence and practical examples.
• Nominators may advise candidates on how to prepare the information, but the nomination must be written by the candidate.
• Dot points can be used but they must be clear and cover the assessment criteria.
• The maximum number of pages is specified for each Award category. Excess pages will not be considered.
• Documents must be in 12 point font. Documents in other fonts may not be considered.

As a Registered Training Organisation which category do I enter?

Being a registered training organisation (RTO) does not necessarily mean the training provider category is the appropriate one. The appropriate category depends on the RTO's primary role:

• if the RTO’s primary role is training, then one of the Training Provider categories is appropriate, depending on the number of student enrolments.
• if the RTO’s primary role is not training but something else (e.g. selling products or services), then depending on the number of employees, the Employer or Small Business Award is the appropriate category.

Refer to the eligibility criteria for each of the Awards.

Can part of an organisation nominate?

• In the case of employers and training providers with activities in more than one state, only the training activities in Victoria will be considered for the award.
• Where businesses have more than one workplace in Victoria, they must decide to nominate as a state-wide business or an individual workplace. If the decision is individual workplace, the business must lodge separate nominations if more than one workplace decides to nominate.
• In the case of the Training Provider categories, the nomination should be for the entire Victorian operation, not one campus or location.
• In the case of the training department of a business or organisation whose primary role is not training, either the entire business or organisation could nominate its Victorian operation for the Victorian Employer of the Year Award category, or the training department, as part of the organisation, could nominate a particular program or product for the Victorian Training Initiative of the Year Award.
  

What state regulation issues are relevant to an application?

An apprentice or trainee must have a contract of training registered with Skills Victoria.

For the employer categories, any organisation or enterprise in Victoria can nominate or be nominated. This includes Victorian divisions and subsidiaries of national enterprises, franchise systems and franchisees, and public sector agencies and departments. Only the training conducted by the Victorian operation will be considered for the Award.

In the training provider categories, candidates must be registered training organisations, with Victoria as their primary state of registration. Only the training delivered in Victoria will be considered for the Award.