Welcome to the 2026 NSW Training Awards. These awards recognise and reward excellence and outstanding achievement in vocational education and training.
Ceremonies WUPA Artist, Craig Layer
The Department acknowledges all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people whose customs have allowed the nurturing of the country where we work and live as modern-day Australians. We recognise the strength in their continued connection to culture and traditional lands from across NSW.
We pay our deepest respect to the Elders, both past and present, who have maintained the knowledge of culture and paved the way for our youth to be the leaders of tomorrow.
Order of Proceedings
Welcome to Country
Uncle Allen Madden
Performers
Master of Ceremonies
Casey Fox
2022 NSW Vocational Students of the Year, and
Michael Pfeffer
2024 NSW VET Teacher/Trainer of the Year
Address by
The Hon. Steve Whan MP
Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education
Awards Presentation
Post Event Celebration
Acknowledgements
The NSW Department of Education would like to acknowledge the ongoing support, commitment, and contribution that have led to the success of the 2026 NSW Training Awards. We extend our gratitude to the many judging panel members from the regional and state selection processes who dedicated their time and expertise to assess the entries and select the finalists and winners across the 13 award categories.
The NSW Department of Education would also like to thank our 2026 Ambassadors, who were our NSW winners for 2025: James Barry, Kathryn Beale, Rebecca Hambrook, Darby Hubber, Penny Mackay, Amali Rollinson, and Imogen Young-Maloney.
Special acknowledgement is extended to:
2022 NSW Vocational Student of the Year, Casey Fox, and 2024 NSW VET Teacher/Trainer of the Year, Michael Pfeffer for their time and contribution as MCs
Training Services and DOE staff volunteers
We would also like to acknowledge the dedication and efforts of our event manager Clare Dawson and Danielle Bell from Forum Group Events.