The Darling Downs and South West region has named its 11 winners in the 62nd Queensland Training Awards.
The Queensland Government invests more than $1.2 billion annually in training and skills and that investment is a driving force behind the Good people. Good jobs: Queensland Workforce Strategy 2022-2032.
Harry Hauenschild Apprentice of the Year is Gabrielle Clift, who has a Certificate III in Light Vehicle Mechanical Technology, while Bob Marshman Trainee of the Year winner and Tarong Power Station employee, Chloe Chudleigh, completed a Certificate IV in Business at Stanwell Corporation through their competitive apprentice and trainee program.
Chloe has initiated the automation of vehicle checks via a QR code which effectively helped the company transition into a paperless environment
She also has a passion for volunteering and promoting opportunities for women in the resource industry by taking leadership roles, such as the Inclusion and Diversity TPS Working Group Lead.
VET Teacher or Trainer of the Year winner, UQ Skills educator Craig Jones has revolutionised the Certificate IV in Farriery for his students.
During the weekends, Craig used his 35 years’ experience of shoeing horses to create modern and digitised training materials by filming himself performing a series of basic to advanced farriery skills into high-quality e-learning resources that align to the course learning and assessment requirements.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Training and Skills Development Di Farmer:
“Providing Queenslanders with opportunities to get a job, grow their skills and have a great lifestyle is a priority of the Palaszczuk Government.
“These awards are a salute to the great work in vocational education and training (VET) across the state, our apprentices, trainees, vocational students, teachers and trainers, as well as training providers and employers.
“It’s great to see women proving their skills in what are often traditionally male dominated work areas.
“Women play a critical role in the Palaszczuk Government’s Queensland Workforce Strategy and there are many programs in our strategy that aim to increase participation of women in the workforce.
“Congratulations to all the regional finalists and winners right across the region, from Miles and Murgon to Dalby and Toowoomba, who are the skilled Queenslanders we need for our economy to grow.”.
“In addition to the individual award winners, I congratulate the employers who have won awards for their dedication to training their workforce such as Toowoomba’s French pastry shop, ParisiAnn Patisserie, which was named the region’s Small Employer of the Year.
“The company owners, who are qualified industry skilled VET trainers, focus on providing high-quality training tailored to industry and individual needs.
“Their staff spend around 10 hours per week gaining real-life experience in customer service, cake-making, budgeting, and teamwork through on and off-site learning.
“It’s also great to see community-based initiatives being recognised for all their hard work, like Chinchilla Community Centre which won the Community Training Initiative of the Year for their Skilling Queenslanders for Work—Knowing Nutrition program.
“This 40-year-old not-for-profit organisation offers various services to support vulnerable people, including emergency relief, job support, and community events.
“Their award-winning Skilling Queenslanders for Work project, provides hospitality training, workplace expectation information and employment opportunities resulting in successful outcomes for vulnerable and disadvantaged local people.
“It is great to see that this centre also works with local agencies to provide case management to support vulnerable individuals.”
Explainer/fast fact and or further information:
The regional winners were announced at the local Queensland Training Awards event at Clifford Park Racecourse in Toowoomba tonight (Friday 14 July 2023).
This year state-wide nominations increased by more than 40 per cent from last year with over 210 regional finalists selected from more than 800 nominations.
Notable winners from last year’s awards include Jennah Halley from Cairns who won the Harry Hauenschild Apprentice of the Year and went on to be named Australia’s top apprentice.
Jennah, who completed a Certificate III in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, is a proactive role model and mentor encouraging more women to take up the trade.
To learn more about the Queensland Training Awards visit
Full list of Darling Downs and South West Queensland winners:
Individual award categories
Harry Hauenschild Apprentice of the Year – Gabrielle Clift, Certificate III in Light Vehicle Mechanical Technology, McDowall
Bob Marshman Trainee of the Year – Chloe Chudleigh, Certificate IV in Business, Nanango
Vocational Student of the Year – Rachael Laurie, Diploma of Business, Wilsonton, Toowoomba
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year – Aiden Le Rossignol, Certificate III in Work Health and Safety, Miles
School-based Apprentice or Trainee of the Year – Lucy Hutchison, Certificate III in Business, Meringandan West
Equity Student of the Year – Sabastian Fisher, Certificate I in Workplace Skills, Murgon
VET Teacher or Trainer of the Year – Craig Jones, UQ Skills, D’Aguilar
Organisation award categories
Community Training Initiative of the Year – Chinchilla Community Centre – Skilling Queenslanders for Work—Knowing Nutrition, Chinchilla
Large Employer of the Year – Western Downs Regional Council, Dalby
Medium Employer of the Year – JRS Skills Academy, Wilsonton, Toowoomba
Small Employer of the Year – ParisiAnn Patisserie, Toowoomba City
