Celebrating multiple wins

Koorie Student of the Year winner, Shirley Darcy, a proud Wiradjuri woman from the Kulin Nation, said: “Winning this award is incredibly humbling. This journey has been about more than study, it’s been about reclaiming knowledge, building confidence, and giving back to community. I’m proud to represent my mob and inspire others to walk their own path through education.”

“These wins are an extraordinary achievement for The Gordon and a proud moment for our entire community.” 

- The Gordon’s Chief Executive Officer, Joe Ormeno,

“They show the life-changing power of vocational education, from giving students the confidence to reclaim their voice, to shaping the next generation of industry leaders, to building partnerships that transform entire communities.” 

“Our winners embody everything The Gordon is about: opportunity, inclusion, and excellence,” he said. 

According to Mr Ormeno, having two of our educators recognised as finalists in the same category, is also an outstanding achievement. He extended his congratulations to both teachers, Chris Dickeson - Certificate II in Construction Pathways and Ben Pratt - Barbering for their achievements.

The Gordon’s success at this year’s Victorian Training Awards highlights the depth of teaching excellence at The Gordon and the significant impact our educators make on their students and across their industries.

Mr Ormeno said the Industry Collaboration Award win for the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre GEESP program highlighted the strength of The Gordon’s partnerships.

“This project shows what can be achieved when TAFE, industry and community organisations come together with purpose. The collaboration is creating genuine pathways for local people, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, to access training and employment opportunities linked to major infrastructure projects. It’s an example of vocational education at its very best – opening doors and changing lives.”

The Industry Collaboration Award was awarded to the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre GEESP program, a landmark partnership co-designed by Development Victoria, the Give Where You Live Foundation’s GROW initiative, social enterprise gforce employment + recruitment, and delivered by national builder Built as the head contractor for the Plenary Conventions consortium.

The Gordon partnered with gforce to deliver Certificate II in Construction Pathways to gforce apprentices working on the multi-million-dollar development located at Geelong’s waterfront precinct.

Lorenzo Ernstzen, The Gordon’s Portfolio Manager Carpentry and Construction and representative from the collaboration team, said: “Winning this award affirms the power of purpose-driven partnerships. It’s a testament to what’s possible when TAFE, industry and community organisations align to break down barriers, build capability, and create real career pathways. This recognition honours the outcomes achieved through GEESP, but more than that, it reinforces our commitment to our vision. The GEESP program is creating real pathways for local people, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, to access employment and training opportunities connected to major infrastructure projects,” he said.

As state winners, The Gordon’s representatives will now go on to represent Victoria at the Australian Training Awards later in 2025.