Staff and students of the Territory’s leading vocational education and training provider, Charles Darwin University, have won six awards, including Apprentice of the Year, at the annual Northern Territory Training Awards.
The awards recognise individuals, businesses and organisations achieving excellence in the field of vocational education and training (VET).
CDU won Training Provider of the Year and VET lecturer Howard Pullen won the VET Teacher of the Year Award.
The Training Initiative Award went to VET lecturer Milton Miller for the Certificate II Seafood Compliance.
CDU Maritime Unit developed the course in conjunction with NT Police and the NT Government Fisheries department and has provided training to Indigenous Sea Rangers for more than eight years.
“The initial training provided the rangers with their coxswain and safety training,” Mr Miller said. “The training now provides rangers with a Certificate II Seafood Industry, which gives them the ability to help police illegal fishing on their own country.
“The training package has been developed to use real life scenarios so the rangers learn the rules and regulations associated with illegal fishing and how to gather the appropriate evidence to help NT Police prosecute offenders.
“Some rangers from the first batch of training in 2008 successfully collected evidence unassisted, which resulted in a successful police prosecution of an illegal barra fisherman.”
CDU students took out VET in Schools Student of the Year, School Based Apprentice of the Year, Aboriginal and Torres Islander Student of the Year, and Trainee of the Year.
The Austin Asche Apprentice of the Year award was won by CDU Certificate III in Carpentry student Graham Havens.