Hello everyone,

It’s been a busy start to the month of May and SkillsOne.com.au has won the 2008 Webby Award in the Associations category. Congratulations everyone! I thank and acknowledge The Australian Channel and their team producing SkillsOne for this prestigious achievement. To be considered in the international stage alongside prominent sites like YouTube, Apple and others with much larger budgets and markets, is substantial.

May also marks some exciting outcomes for The Institute.

Star Ratings Scheme Update

Recently a presentation to a number of Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) who have successfully received Star Ratings evaluation was held. The presentation was made by The Institute’s Chairman, Dr John Keniry and attended by members of The Institute’s Board, and representatives from each of the successful RTOs.

The RTOs that attended, and their Star Ratings were TAFE NSW Western Sydney Institute Blacktown, Three Gold Stars for Automotive; TAFE NSW Institute St George, Three Gold Stars in Automotive; Regency International Centre TAFESA Adelaide North Three Gold Stars in Commercial Cookery; TAFE NSW Illawarra Three Gold Stars in Carpentry, Shopfitting & Detailed Joinery, Painting & Decorating, Bricklaying & Blocklaying and Two Gold Stars in Mining; TAFE NSW Western Institute, Three Gold Stars in Mining and Three Gold Stars in Shearing and Woolhandling.

Over 80 RTOs have been recognized with a Star Rating since the launch of the Scheme in October 2007, with another 50 at various stages of the evaluation process. RTOs are rated by industry with a One, Two or Three Gold Star Rating. These Ratings mean that the RTOs are achieving excellence in the delivery of training and teaching to industry needs and requirements. The response from RTOs and industry has been outstanding, and we’re looking forward to more RTOs applying for recognition by industry of their quality outcomes.

The Government’s Skilling Australia for the Future paper shows that employer surveys highlight a lack of suitably qualified staff as hindering their business expansion and growth, and poor completion rates particularly in the case of apprentices. It states that the training system needs to be more dynamic and flexible to meet the needs of industry and students to be able to deliver the skills the Australian economy requires.

We support these findings and look forward to extending our contribution to skilled Australian workforce by continuing to recognise the very best of training providers and raising the bar on quality.

Trade Teacher Awards Update

Which brings me to the trade teachers. The Institute recognises the importance of excellence in trade training and introduced the Australian Trade Teacher of the Year Award last year. We will be launching the 2008 Trade Teacher of the Year Awards in the coming weeks, so be sure to look out for the announcement and get those nominations in for those teachers you feel are outstanding in their delivery. We’re looking for trade teachers who are innovative, industry-focused and passionate about what they do. There will be 18 prizes on offer to be awarded to those teachers industry identifies as the best in their industry category.

Finally, skillsone.com.au continues to receive excellent traffic month on month, with over 50,000 videosviewed in the month of April alone!

We have received a lot of really positive feedback about both skillsone.com.au and SkillsOne Television from career advisors and parents acknowledging SkillsOne as an exceptional resource to encourage young people to take up a career and or skill in the trades and gain a greater understanding of the immense opportunities available.