The Adult, Community and Further Education (ACFE) Board’s Victorian Learn Local Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of those within the Learn Local education and training network.
The Victorian Learn Local Awards are held annually by the Adult, Community and Further Education Board. These Awards are an important opportunity to acknowledge the network’s many contributions and celebrate the success of learners, practitioners and training providers across Victoria.
The Learn Local education and training network plays a major role in the development of local individuals, businesses and communities throughout Victoria. It delivers the skills that support our economy and underpin the inclusiveness of our communities. The Awards are an opportunity to showcase this valuable work.
Winners for the 2018 Awards
The Minister for Training and Skills, the Hon Gayle Tierney MP, announced the winners of the 2018 Victorian Learn Local Awards at a celebration of the Learn Local network on Thursday 30 August 2018.
The awards recognise excellence in the Learn Local network across seven categories with winners sharing in a total prize pool of $62,000.
This year’s winners were:
The Ro Allen Award: Recognising Pre-accredited Learner Excellence
David Hayes, Kew Neighbourhood Learning Centre
David Hayes had been jobless for several years while caring for his sick partner. When he first came to the Kew Neighbourhood Learning Centre (KewNLC), social isolation had left him feeling somewhat ‘stir crazy’. It was time for him to upskill and re-enter the workforce.
The positive impact of joining the classes was instantaneous; David transformed into a keen learner. To update his technology skills, he participated in the 2017 Workplace Technology course covering Microsoft Office applications, touch typing and social media. But he got so much more from the experience than technical skill. David flourished into a confident, proactive KewNLC team member, made new friends, built employment networks, grew his communication and problem-solving skills, and pursued further training opportunities.
Volunteering at KewNLC led David to part-time employment in a support position and in 2019, he’ll enrol in the Certificate IV in Disability to qualify him for disability support work.
Victorian Learn Local Young Pre-accredited Learner Award
Aymee Schofield, Noweyung Ltd
Aymee Schofield was unemployed and considering a career in nursing but she was unsure of herself and lacked confidence. Then, everything changed when she saw an ad in the local paper for the Kick Start your Career in the Health Sector course, an eight-week pre-accredited health program. Aymee jumped at the opportunity.
The whole experience gave Aymee a new lease on life. Through first-hand exposure to many areas in the hospital environment, including nursing, allied health, administration, food services and cleaning, Aymee was empowered to make that important decision.
She was enthusiastic and highly engaged with her studies and when it came to her traineeship interview, she spoke confidently about her knowledge and understanding of Central Gippsland Health services. Aymee’s traineeship in the Human Resource Department is well underway now, as is her Certificate IV in Business. In addition, she’s made new friends and has strong ties with the community.
Victorian Learn Local Pre-accredited Pathway Program Award
Prepare for Work - Service Stars, Kensington Neighbourhood House
And they’re off and running, be it for the Spring Racing Carnival at Flemington Racecourse or the opening of AFL season at the MCG, the Prepare For Work – Service Stars program helps some of our most vulnerable citizens gain paid employment within the hospitality industry.
Service Stars is a two-week, 60-hour pre-accredited course with a direct pathway to employment. The courses are timed to link with major events so learners can put their new skills into practice while earning award rate wages.
Providing everything’s gone well, participants can decide to stay on the employers’ books. A Sudanese mother of eight children had never been to school. Undertaking the Service Stars course gave her an introduction to hospitality and the confidence and skill to apply for a permanent position.
Of the 32 learners participating in the training, 25 are now employed and most of the others have undertaken further study.
Victorian Learn Local Practitioner Award
Robyn Spandonide, Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services
Empathetic, inclusive and kind, with a great sense of humour is how colleagues describe Robyn Spandonide, English Program Coordinator at Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services. The majority of people attending her classes are women from refugee backgrounds who haven’t been educated or employed in their country of origin, let alone Australia.
Robyn is passionate about helping them achieve excellent outcomes and developing confidence. In a safe, nurturing and, at times, amusing environment – Robyn even sometimes acts out her lessons in mime. The Starting Work in Australia program supports the development of conversational English and provides a sound understanding of employment obligations and rights.
Building relationships and connections are at the core of the programs Robyn develops. There are lots of excursions and guest speakers to familiarise students with different opportunities, and the majority of her students find work quickly with the assistance of JobActive consultants. In 2017, more than 70 per cent gained employment.
Victorian Learn Local Creating Local Solutions Award
Kick-Start your Career in Health, Noweyung Ltd
It’s forecast that by 2020, the Gippsland region health sector will experience staffing increases of 18 per cent across all services. Couple this with current regional skill shortages and unemployment rates, and there’s an opportunity for change. The Gippsland Regional Council project, Strengthening Pathways for Adult Learners in Gippsland, has this conundrum covered.
In a Gippsland first, Learn Local Noweyung Ltd partnered with Central Gippsland Health to develop an eight-week pre-accredited and customised health program giving unemployed/underemployed people first-hand experience of the health industry. The program pathways into accredited education and employment.
Results to date are outstanding. Students are skilled-up in areas including communication, literacy and financial literacy. Hospital staff volunteer their time to provide demonstrations and activities such as laughter yoga for stress management. Students are reporting that they got more out of it than they imagined. Out of 15 enrolled students, 14 went on to further studies or gained employment.
Victorian Learn Local Collaboration Award
Manningham Learns - A Strategic Alliance: Pines Learning, Park Orchards Community House and Learning Centre and Living and Learning @ Ajani
This is a success story about five neighbourhood houses in Manningham; Warrandyte, Park Orchards, Wonga Park, Pines Learning and Living, and Learning @ Ajani. As a networking cluster they struggled with cohesiveness. They knew that improved collaboration would create better outcomes for their operations and clients, but they didn’t know how to achieve it.
Via government funding, they employed a facilitator to work towards a strategic alliance. It became clear that everyone had the same vision, which was to service the community well. They established the foundations of Manningham Learns and built trust and enthusiasm for the next phase of implementing an alliance.
Great strides were made in a short timeframe. Now, Manningham Learns is a strong entity providing diverse and affordable accredited and pre-accredited courses across five locations. The alliance inspired wider recognition and interest, and its involvement is sought to contribute to working groups, forums and expos.
Learn Local Legends
- North Western Metropolitan Regional Council of ACFE – Preston Reservoir Adult Community Education (PRACE)
- Loddon Mallee Regional Council of ACFE – Bendigo Neighbourhood Hub
- Southern Metropolitan Regional Council of ACFE – Springvale Learning and Activities Centre (SLAC)
- Gippsland Regional Council of ACFE – Heyfield Community Resource Centre
- Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council of ACFE – Glen Park Community Centre Inc.
- Hume Regional Council of ACFE – Tatura Community House
- Grampians Regional Council of ACFE – Nhill Neighbourhood House
- Barwon South Western Regional Council of ACFE – Diversitat
Congratulations to all of this year’s winners!
Previous Award winners
To read about previous winners see:
Previous Learn Local Award Winners
2018 award categories
Learner categories
The Ro Allen Award - recognising Pre-accredited Learner Excellence
This award recognises the achievements of people aged between 25 and 65 years participating in ACFEB-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 ACFEB-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 winner of this award will receive $5,000. The two finalists for this award will each receive $1,000.
This award recognises the achievements of people, aged between 18 and 24 years, participating in ACFEB-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 ACFEB-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 winner of this award will receive $5,000. The two finalists for this award will each receive $1,000.
Victorian Learn Local Young Pre-accredited Learner Award (new category)
Practitioner or volunteer categories
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 network 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 or employment (paid or unpaid).
The winner of this award will receive $5,000. The two finalists for this award will each receive $1,000.
Victorian Learn Local Volunteer Team Award
This award will go to a group of volunteers who work in a Learn Local provider that is currently registered with ACFEB. It will go to a group of up to 10 people who have worked together on a common project, demonstrating that effective or consistent team effort can achieve greater outcomes.
The team must have had some involvement with at least one ACFEB-funded program or project that was delivered at the Learn Local provider between July 2017 and June 2018. 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 ACFEB for consideration as part of the 2018 Victorian Premier’s Volunteer Champions Awards—teamwork category.
The winning team for this award will receive $5,000. The two finalist teams for this award will each receive $1,000.
Program categories
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 network delivers and its expertise in supporting learners to engage or re-engage with learning.
The winner of this award will receive $10,000. The two finalists for this award will each receive $1,000.
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.
The winner of this award will receive $10,000. The two finalists for this award will each receive $1,000.
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 collaboration will demonstrate how Learn Local providers and other sectors can work together to improve pathway opportunities for learners.
The winner of this award will receive $10,000 (to be shared by both parties). The two finalists for this award will each receive $1,000 (to be shared by both parties).
Acknowledgement category
Learn Local Legend
This acknowledgement will go to eight Learn Local providers, one in each region, that ACFEB and Regional Councils of Adult, Community and Further Education have identified as an outstanding regional contributor to improving participation in training by one or more of ACFEB’s priority learner cohorts.
The main areas ACFEB 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 ACFEB-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 about with other Learn Local providers.
There will be eight Legends across Victoria (one per Regional Council) and each will receive $1,000.
Learn Local providers are not able to submit a nomination for this award category; a 2018 Legend will be selected by each Regional Council.
Award prizes
Each individual category winner in the learner categories will receive $5,000 and finalists receive $1,000 in prize money (two finalists per category).
Each practitioner or volunteer category winner will receive $5,000 and finalists receive $1,000 in prize money (two finalists per category).
Each program category winner will receive $10,000 and finalists receive $1,000 in prize money (two finalists per category).
Each acknowledgement category winner will receive $1,000 in prize money (eight winners per category).
Promotional materials
Learn local flyer (pdf - 205.36kb)
Nomination guidelines and forms
More information
For more information, please contact the Victorian Learn Local Awards team at
learnlocal@edumail.vic.gov.au or call 7022 0045.
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