Charles Darwin University’s Aaron Devine has been recognised with a major national award in the Australian Vocational Education and Training (VET) system.
Mr Devine (pictured), CDU’s Director VET, was honoured with the AUSTAFE Award for Educational Leadership at the recent 2008 AUSTAFE Conference in South Australia.
The award recognised Mr Devine’s outstanding leadership and contribution to Australian vocational training and education.
Involved in a management capacity within VET since 2004, Mr Devine led the Drysdale Institute, part of TAFE Tasmania, before his appointment at CDU. Under his leadership, both organisations have been recognised for their achievement by winning Training Provider of the Year in their respective jurisdictions.
Arriving at CDU in late 2006, Mr Devine’s strategic vision was to reshape CDU as the premier provider of vocational training in the Northern Territory, and a national leader in its areas of strength. He branded his vision “Doing VET Better!”
General Manager - VET Business Improvement, Dr Steve Shanahan said that Mr Devine’s charisma and vision have enabled the recent improvements seen in VET at CDU, and continue to provide the drive for further successes.
“Aaron realised that a radical change away from ‘business as usual’ was required to position CDU as the premier Territory VET provider,” he said.
“Such a large shift required not only strategic vision but also the ability to plan resources, implement new policies and processes, and to manage change within a large organisation.
“The end result of Doing VET Better! has not yet been realised, but after 12 months of work, the overall sentiment among staff is still highly positive.”
For more information on the 2008 AUSTAFE Conference visit www.austafeconference.org.au.