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Learn Local Awards

The Victorian Learn Local Awards are held annually by the Adult, Community and Further Education Board and celebrate the success of individuals, programs and training providers across Victoria.

2020 Learn Local Awards Virtual Gala Series

This year, instead of a physical gala or a live online event, the 2020 Learn Local Awards were announced through a Virtual Gala Series. Hosted by MC Sara James, the pre-recorded video series features interviews with the finalists, and the winner of each Award category is announced at the end of each video.

Although 2020 has been a challenging year for many, these Awards continue to represent the Learn Local spirit, and we are so excited to share the great successes of the Learn Local sector with you this year.

You can view all of the 2020 Learn Local Awards Gala Series at the following channels:

Learn Local Facebook

Learn Local YouTube

Learn Local website

Congratulations to all of this year's winners and finalists!

About the Awards

Held annually by the Adult, Community and Further Education (ACFE) Board, the Learn Local Awards provide a unique opportunity to honour the Learn Local sector and highlight the success of learners and the training providers who support them.

Nominations and key dates

Find out how you and your organisation can nominate for the 2020 awards.
Award categories

See all of the award categories and eligibility criteria.
2020 Winners and Finalists

Explore the stories and of the 2020 Learn Local Award winners and finalists.
2019 winners and finalists

Explore the stories of the 2019 Learn Local Award winners and finalists.
Previous award winners

See what our previous winners have achieved.
Partnership opportunities

Demonstrate your organisation’s commitment to Learn Local education and training.

1800 413 622
Contact the Learn Local Awards team by phone

Tweets by Learn Local

Learn Local Legend

This acknowledgement will go to eight Learn Local providers, one in each region, that Regional Councils of Adult, Community and Further Education and the ACFE Board have identified as an outstanding regional contributor to improving participation in training by one or more of the ACFE Board’s priority learner cohorts.

The main areas the ACFE Board and Regional Councils will consider include:

evidence of an appropriate growth in participation by one or more of the Board’s priority learner cohorts in ACFE Board-funded programs or projects
evidence of innovative approaches to engaging one or more of the Board’s priority learner cohorts, and
collaboration and knowledge sharing with other Learn Local providers.

There will be eight Legends across Victoria (one per Regional Council of ACFE) and each Legend receives $1,000.

Eligibility

Learn Local providers that were registered with the ACFE Board in 2018 and remain registered in 2019 are eligible.

Learn Local providers are not able to submit a nomination for this award category. All Learn Local providers active in the region in 2018 and 2019 will be considered and a 2019 Legend will be selected by each ACFE Regional Council.

Victorian Learn Local Pre-accredited Pathway Program Award

This award recognises the capacity of Learn Local programs to engage learners and create pathways to further education, training or employment.

The winning Learn Local program will be a pre-accredited or foundation program that can demonstrate the creation of pathways for individuals to engage successfully with learning and employment (paid or volunteer) as a result of their participation in the program. The program will demonstrate the calibre of programs that the Learn Local sector delivers and its expertise in supporting learners to engage or re-engage with learning. It will be an exemplar of an approach to program development, design and/or delivery that reflects the particular pedagogy and approaches that characterise the work of the Learn Local sector.

The winner of this award receives $10,000. The two finalists for this award each receive $1,000.

Eligibility

This award will go to a pre-accredited or foundation program delivered by a Learn Local provider that is currently registered with the ACFE Board.

All nominees and nominators must agree to the Conditions of Entry.

A substantial amount of program activity should have occurred during 2018 and the Learn Local provider will have been registered with the ACFE Board at the time the program was delivered.

The program can be run in partnership with other organisations but must be led by the nominated Learn Local provider.

Selection criteria

Applications will be judged against the following selection criteria:

Criterion 1: Supporting learner pathways
Criterion 2: Effectiveness of teaching and learning
Criterion 3: Linkages and partnerships.

Victorian Learn Local Creating Local Solutions Award

This award recognises the achievements of a Learn Local program or project that is creating solutions to local training needs.

This program or project will have been developed by a Learn Local provider in partnership with other organisations, business and industry or the community to provide solutions to local training needs. This program or project will demonstrate the use of different expertise, technology or program arrangements to create local solutions.

This program or project will enable learning for its participants and will demonstrate how the Learn Local sector provides flexible, quality and tailored training that meets local needs.

The winner of this award receives $10,000. The two finalists for this award each receive $1,000.

Eligibility

This award will go to a program or project delivered by a Learn Local program that is currently registered with the ACFE Board.

All nominees and nominators must agree to the Conditions of Entry.

A substantial amount of the program/project activity should have occurred during 2018 and the Learn Local provider will have been registered with the ACFE Board at the time the program was delivered.

The program/project does not have to have been entirely funded by the Victorian government, but will, most importantly, have been undertaken in order to respond to a local training need.

The program/project must have been developed and delivered in partnership with other organisations (for example community, business or other training providers).

Selection criteria

Applications will be judged against the following selection criteria:

Criterion 1: Learner focus
Criterion 2: Linkages and partnerships
Criterion 3: Outcomes and achievements.

Victorian Learn Local Collaboration Award

This award recognises a collaboration between a Learn Local provider and other sectors that has resulted in improved pathways from pre-accredited training to accredited training.

The approach taken by both parties to the collaboration will have resulted in them working together to achieve a shared goal and in some instances they may have had to change the way they usually work to ensure the success of the collaboration. There will be achievements and training impacts that have been made as a result of the collaboration.

The sustainability of the collaboration will be evident from the plans that are in place for the future as well as an indication of how the collaboration could be replicated or adopted in other settings.

The collaboration will demonstrate how Learn Local providers and other sectors can work together to improve pathway opportunities for learners.

The winner of this award receives $10,000 (to be shared by both parties). The two finalists for this award each receive $1,000 (to be shared by both parties).

Eligibility

This award will go jointly to a Learn Local provider (or two Learn Local providers jointly collaborating) and a partner from another sector that have collaborated in order to improve pathways from pre-accredited training to accredited training.

All nominees (i.e. both the Learn Local provider/s and other parties) and nominators must agree to the Conditions of Entry.

A substantial amount of the collaboration should have occurred during 2018 and the Learn Local provider will have been registered with the ACFE Board at the time of the collaboration.

The nominating Learn Local provider does not have to have been the lead on the collaboration (if there was a lead).

Selection criteria

Applications will be judged against the following selection criteria:

Criterion 1: Approach to the collaboration
Criterion 2: Achievements and training impacts
Criterion 3: Sustainability of the collaboration.

Victorian Learn Local Practitioner Award

This award recognises the outstanding contribution that all Learn Local practitioners make to support learners in achieving outcomes.

It will go to an individual who demonstrates a commitment to the Learn Local sector and an ability to engage people in learning. The individual will have strategies and techniques in place that enable them to provide or support quality training to meet different learner needs and establish pathways for them to further education and/or employment (paid or unpaid).

This individual will be a role model for colleagues and exemplify the dedication of Learn Local practitioners.

The winner of this award receives $5,000. The two finalists for this award each receive $1,000.

Eligibility

This award will go to an individual who works (paid) in a Learn Local provider that is currently registered with the ACFE Board.

All nominees and nominators must agree to the Conditions of Entry.

Selection criteria

Applications will be judged against the following selection criteria:

Criterion 1: Successful professional practice
Criterion 2: Positive outcomes achieved by learners that can be attributed to the nominee
Criterion 3: Linkages and partnerships.

Victorian Learn Local Volunteer Team Award

This award will go to a group of volunteers that work in a Learn Local provider that is currently registered with the ACFE Board. The award will go to a group of up to 10 people who have worked together on a common project, demonstrating that effective or shared effort can achieve greater outcomes.

The team must have had some involvement with at least one ACFE Board-funded program or project that was delivered at the Learn Local provider between July 2018 and June 2019. There can be volunteers from other organisations on the team but at least two of the members must be from the Learn Local provider.

The winner of this award category will also be put forward by the ACFE Board for consideration as part of the 2019 Victorian Premier’s Volunteer Champions Awards — Teamwork category.

The winning team of this award receives $5,000. The two finalist teams for this award each receive $1,000.

Eligibility

Volunteers that work in a Learn Local provider that is currently registered with the ACFE Board. The group must have been volunteering at the Learn Local provider sometime between July 2018 and June 2019 and had some involvement with ACFE Board-funded programs during this time.

Their work or activity must satisfy Volunteering Australia's definition of volunteering, being "time willingly given for the common good and without financial gain".

They must work, or have worked directly with each other on a specific project, and can be from multiple organisations or groups.

This category does not intend to recognise ongoing programs or day-to-day activities of a group or organisation, rather, the focus is on a group of people who have successfully worked together to achieve a common goal or outcome.

All nominees and nominators must agree to the Conditions of Entry.

Selection criteria

As this category is aligned specifically with the Victorian Premier's Volunteer Champions Awards, there are no set criteria. However, information is provided below about the areas that nominators should focus on when preparing a nomination:

Achievements and outcomes of the work of the volunteer team
Skills and qualities of the volunteer team
Commitment and effort of the volunteer team
Level of involvement in ACFE Board-funded programs by the volunteer team.

The Ro Allen Award - Recognising Pre-accredited Learner Excellence

This award recognises the achievements of people aged between 25 and 65 years participating in ACFE Board-funded pre-accredited programs at Learn Local providers across Victoria.

It will go to a learner that has established pathways for themselves into further education, employment or volunteer roles as a result of their participation in an ACFE Board-funded pre-accredited program. The learner will have demonstrated a high level of engagement with their learning and be actively developing new skills and enhancing their knowledge.

The learner will demonstrate a commitment to continuing their learning journey and be a role model for other people of what can be achieved by participating in a pre-accredited program.

The winner of this award receives $5,000. The two finalists for this award each receive $1,000.

Eligibility

This award will go to a learner, aged between 25 and 65 years, who has undertaken an ACFE Board-funded pre-accredited program in 2018.

The Learn Local provider running the pre-accredited program must be currently registered with the ACFE Board.

All nominees and nominators must agree to the Conditions of Entry.

Selection criteria

Applications will be judged against the following selection criteria:

Criterion 1: Learning achievements
Criterion 2: Enhancement of personal skills and attributes as a result of the learning
Criterion 3: Other achievements.

Victorian Learn Local Young Pre-accredited Learner Award

This award recognises the achievements of people aged between 18 and 24 years participating in ACFE Board-funded pre-accredited programs at Learn Local providers across Victoria.

It will go to a learner that has established pathways for themselves into further education, employment or volunteer roles as a result of their participation in an ACFE Board-funded pre-accredited program. The learner will have demonstrated a high level of engagement with their learning and be actively developing new skills and enhancing their knowledge.

The learner will demonstrate a commitment to continuing their learner journey and be a role model for other people of what can be achieved by participating in a pre-accredited program.

The winner of this award receives $5,000. The two finalists for this award each receive $1,000.

Eligibility

This award will go to a learner, aged between 18 and 24 years, who has undertaken an ACFE Board-funded pre-accredited program in 2018.

The Learn Local provider running the pre-accredited program must be currently registered with the ACFE Board.

All nominees and nominators must agree to the Conditions of Entry.

Selection criteria

Applications will be judged against the following selection criteria:

Criterion 1: Learning achievements
Criterion 2: Enhancement of personal skills and attributes as a result of the learning
Criterion 3: Other achievments.

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