Students from North Coast TAFE’s Lismore, Grafton and Coffs Harbour campuses have featured heavily in the 2011 North Coast TAFE Student Achievement Awards announced at a special Awards dinner held at the Osprey Restaurant, at Coffs Harbour Education Campus on 26 May.
The awards recognise the efforts of top-performing students from across North Coast TAFE’s 17 campuses, incorporating over 45,000 students who completed TAFE NSW courses in 2010.
The director of North Coast TAFE, Elizabeth McGregor, says that she was inspired and motivated by the level of achievement reached by the students this year.
The top award - Student of the Year - went to David Batten (20), for his outstanding innovation, persistence and achievement in gaining his Certificate IV in Screen and Media at Lismore Campus. David also won the Information Technology Faculty Student Achievement Award.
Ms McGregor said that David’s efforts were particularly inspirational because he completes his video editing by operating a single button control device with his knee and has recently developed a way of editing using an iPad.
David’s video ‘David Batten’s Filmnitry’ received a National Campus Film Festival Award in 2010 for the ‘Most Innovative Film’.
Since 2009, David has been a member of Real Art Works, a group dedicated to creating projects that utilise the talents of artists with or without disabilities. He has contributed widely by being a board member, camera operator, spokesperson, facilitator and mentor to others.
David’s teacher, Rohan Langford, says that “David deserves recognition for his persistence, dedication and high standard of work”.
“What amazes me is David’s capacity to charm the members of his class into treating him like any other student”, says Rohan. “This is really important for David and his work shows he can perform in the multimedia world just like any other student or graduate as he is severely affected by cerebral palsy."
The award for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year went to Chloe Pierce, from Wollongbar Campus, who was also awarded the Creative Industries Faculty Student of the Year for her efforts in studying her Diploma in Design and Technology.
Other major award winners were:
Apprentice of the Year
Tim Whitehead, Grafton Campus
Certificate III in Refrigeration
Trainee of the Year & TVET School-based Trainee/Apprentice of the Year
Sophie Attwater, Grafton Campus
Certificate II in Retail Operations
TVET Student of the Year
Jamie-Lee Morris, Wollongbar Campus
Certificate II in Tourism
The winners of the Faculty Student Achievement Awards were:
Scott McLean, Certificate IV and Diploma in Business Administration, Casino and Lismore Campuses - Business Faculty
Nicole de Vulder, Certificate III in Disability Work and CIV in Community Services, Port Macquarie Campus - Community Services and Health Faculty
Amy Johnson, Certificate III in Plumbing, Coffs Harbour Campus - Construction Faculty
Jean-Claude Mapatano, Certificate III in English for Further Study, Lismore Campus- General Education Faculty
Kylene Phillips, Certificate II in Animal Studies, Coffs Harbour Education Campus – Primary Industries Faculty
Scott Bradshaw, Certificate III in Industrial Electronics, Port Macquarie Campus - Manufacturing and Engineering Faculty