By Matthew Sims
Victoria University’s [VU] TAFE division Polytechnic has received the award for the Inclusive Training Provider of the year in the 2022 Victorian Training Awards.
Held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Saturday, September 10, the awards celebrated the achievements of the state’s apprentices, trainees, students, teachers, training providers, employers and industry representatives.
The $5000 award celebrated VU Polytechnic’s demonstration of innovation, improvement and engagement for students with additional or special needs, including its learning model combining face-to-face education with e-learning opportunities and offering students individual learning plans which can include specialist software, Auslan interpreters or note takers.
VU vice-chancellor Professor Adam Shoemaker said diversity was at the heart of VU’s philosophies and practices.
“While we celebrate unemployment in Australia being at a 40-year-low, we often forget that a significant portion of Australians live with a disability,” he said.
“There is a huge wellspring of talent and opportunity among them, and one of our jobs is to ensure they have access to life-changing skills and further education.”
VU vocational education deputy vice-chancellor Dianne Semmens said VU Polytechnic has been an educational leader for a number of years with students from all backgrounds, including those with additional or special needs.
“We have a very deep and long history of empowering these students through education and training, and decades of success increasing their employment opportunities, which enriches the workforce for all of us,” she said.
VU Polytechnic has also collaborated with local industries and councils to place students with additional and special needs into work placement programs, including programs within Western Health and the Western Bulldogs.
In the 2021-22 year, 75 intellectually disabled students participated in a bespoke curriculum to prepare them for further studies or employment, with most progressing to further studies.
Other award winners included Apprentice of the Year Chhunly Taing, who is a leading hand on the Metro Tunnel project.
Details: www.vupolytechnic.edu.au
