The Australian Training Awards (ATA) are the premier national awards recognising excellence and best practice in vocational education and training.
State and territory winners compete for national titles in aligned categories, with 5 awards open to direct entry:
- Outstanding Achievement in the VET and Skills Sector Award
- Innovation in VET Award
- School Pathways to VET Award
- Australian Apprenticeships – Employer Award
- Excellence in Language, Literacy and Numeracy Practice Award.
Note: The Medium Employer of the Year category was discontinued at the national level in 2022. Queensland will undertake a pre-selection process to determine which 2 state winners from its Small, Medium and Large Employer of the Year categories will progress to national judging for the aligned Small and Large national employer awards.
Read more about the judging process.
National winners are announced at the Australian Training Awards at the end of each year.
Find out more about the Australian Training Awards.
2025 Australian Training Awards
Congratulations to Queensland’s Australian Training Awards winners:
- Trainee of the Year Award- Winner
Kayla Gagai - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year Award – Runner Up
Dion Sands - Australian Apprenticeships Employer Award – Gold Winner
Riviera Australia - Small Employer of the Year Award – Bronze Winner
Murroona Gardens - School Pathways to VET Award – Bronze Winner
CTA Training Specialists
View all the Australian Training Awards winners.
Congratulations to our 2025 national finalists! A total of 9 Queenslanders were named as finalists at the Australian Training Awards:
Individual categories
- Apprentice of the Year – Jessica Bichsel
- Trainee of the Year – Kayla Gagai
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year – Dion Sands
- Australian School-based Apprentice or Trainee of the Year – Hamish Genrich
- Vocational Student of the Year – Cameron Flack
- VET Teacher/Trainer of the Year – Andrew Abbas
- School Pathways to VET Award (Direct Entry) – CTA Training Specialists
Business categories
- Australian Apprenticeships Employer Award (Direct Entry) – Riviera Australia
- Small Employer of the Year – Murroona Gardens
Congratulations once again to all our winners and finalists for your outstanding achievements and contributions to VET!
Last updated 12 September 2025
