Drysdale students excel at TasTAFE Student Excellence Awards
A former engineer and production manager at Nyrstar who has re- trained as a tour guide, won the THA Drysdale (Tourism, Hospitality and Cookery) Award at the TasTAFE Student Excellence Awards held at Hobart’s Princes Wharf 1 on 3 March. David Lane is a classic example of a lifelong learner who has re- trained in a totally new industry. He had a long and successful career as an engineer working for companies including Pasminco, Kvaerner Davy and Consolidated Rio Tinto Australia where he held production leadership roles for departments of up to 70 people operating 24-hour plants. Since 2007, he worked with Nyrstar where he was the Deputy General Manager at the Balen site in Belgium and the Production Manager in Hobart. In 2016, David decided to seek a change and pursue a career as a Tour Guide, enrolling in TasTAFE’s Certificate III in Guiding which was closely linked to his interests of bushwalking, mountain biking and skiing. David’s commitment to changing his career pathway has paid off. He excelled as a student, showing natural leadership abilities, self-reliance, and a 100 per cent commitment to the course. He was awarded TasTAFE’s Certificate III in Guiding High Achievement Award due to his outstanding results during the course. He has now secured positions with two tourism businesses – The Bruny Island Long Weekend and the Tasmanian Guide Agency. The awardwas presented by THA Industry Skills andWork ForceAdvisor, Peter Handy. The TasTAFE Student Excellence Awards recognised 2016 TasTAFE students who excelled not only academically, but also personally, within the workplace and throughout the community. TasTAFE Drysdale students were also successful in a number of other categories at the awards. They include: Shanelle Percy (Certificate III in Hospitality) - TasTAFE Trainee of the Year Shanelle began working at Banjos Campbell Town in 2013 as a sales assistant, where she stayed for 11 months before moving to the Hobart store. There she began a Certificate III in Hospitality and received a promotion to supervisor. The training allowed her to expand her duties to staff training, cash management and some managerial responsibilities. The on-the-job training meant that she
categories) and Work and Training Apprentice of the Year Jai, who completed a Certificate III in Meat Processing (Retail Butcher) at TasTAFE, has shown an outstanding commitment to learning all that he can about an industry he is passionate about over the past four years. In the second year of his apprenticeship, the local business he was working with closed due to unforeseen circumstances and Jai was then taken on as an apprentice at Landfall Farm Fresh in Launceston where he was quick to adapt to his new work environment and developed a passion for value-added production and precision cutting. His talent and dedication was rewarded last year when he won a gold medal in Retail Butchery at the WorldSkills Australia national competitions. To prepare himself for the nationals he visited and worked in other shops on his days off (with the support of his employer) to practice and hone his craft. Jai is now a business owner, having bought the business Wynyard Quality Meats in February 2017. Jai looks forward to supporting and helping to train apprentices in his own business in the future. Barbara Pogelsheck (Certificate IV in Travel and Tourism) – Tourism Industry Council International Student of the Year Barbara understands the value of practical, first-hand experience in the travel and tourism industry and has complemented her studies by spending her free-time exploring Tasmania. Barbara has been willing to share this knowledge through generous collaboration with her fellow students and has been a mentor to a number of students, including international students. She has acted as an unofficial ambassador for the TasTAFE Tourism program, attending a number of industry functions, launches and networking events. Her ultimate aim is now to share her love and fascination with Tasmania with visitors and contribute to the success of the state’s tourism industry.
could concentrate on her position and relate any training directly into her workplace. Shanelle is driven, has an outstanding work ethic and has exhibited an elevated level of competency in leadership with strong communication and conflict resolution skills Jai North – (Certificate III in Meat Processing (Retail Butcher) - the Minister for Education and Training’s TasTAFE Student of the Year (chosen from all winners across 20 award
April 2017
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