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Victorian students feature in Prime Minister’s awards

News bulletin: 27 July 2009

The 2008 winners of the Prime Minister's Awards for Skills Excellence in School have been announced.  

The Award, announced on 22 July 2009, recognises Year 12 students who have demonstrated excellence and outstanding achievement in vocational education and training in schools.

The Prime Minister and Acting Federal Education Minister congratulated the outstanding students who received an award for their achievements during the 2008 school year.

Award categories include the highest achieving student in each state and territory, the highest achieving Indigenous student, and the highest achieving students in each represented industry area.  

Winners of these awards are selected from the highest achieving recipients of the Australian Vocational Student Prize.

Four out of the eight highest achieving students in industry groups were from Victorian schools:

  • Joanne Stevens, Mansfield Secondary College, for Agri-Food
  • James Monks-Corrigan, Assumption College, for Construction and Property Services
  • Brianna Smith, Birchip P-12 School, for Services
  • Joseph Daw, FCJ College for Transport and Logistics

The highest achieving student for our state was Andrew Bennett from Ballarat Secondary College.

Each winner receives a certificate from the Prime Minister and $2,000 in addition to their Australian Vocational Student Prize Award.

The Awards recognise the achievements of these students in gaining a better understanding of the work world and developing industry-specific skills, while at the same time studying for their Senior Secondary Certificates.

For more information about the Prime Minister’s Award for Skills Excellence in School, the Australian Vocational Student Prize, and for the full list of 2008 winners, see: 2008 Australian Vocational Student Prize