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VET Student of the Year announced for Limestone Coast
According to her employer, Casey Pridmore is bubbly, happy and keen to keep busy—she was also winner of the 2006 VET Student of the Year for the Limestone Coast region of South Australia.
A year 11 student at Naracoorte High School, Casey is currently pursuing her Certificate 3 in Beauty Services through Scissor Happy at Naracoorte. She says she chose her subject because she wanted to become a beauty professional and a hairdresser. She spoke with parents, friends, teachers and her school VET coordinator before committing to the course.
‘So far I have learnt communication skills in the workplace and other standard theory modules.’ She has also discovered that, ‘customer service is a priority in the beauty industry. We must make our clients as comfortable as possible and relaxed as possible.’
She says she has enjoyed the interaction with clients and has ‘learnt how to control different situations regarding different clients’.
Casey’s employer, lecturer and VET coordinator all praised her. In particular they commented on her attitude, organisational skills, pride in her work, high expectations and attention to detail.
As winner, Casey received a $400 award. The three highly commended students each received $200. They are:
- Chantel Macdonald, Millicent High School, Certificate 2 Hairdressing at TAFE SA, host employer Pierinas Hair & Body Concept
- Simon Merrett, Penola High School, Food Processing, Wine at TAFE SA, host employer Zema Estate
- Brodie Smith, Naracoorte High School, Australian School-based Apprenticeship, Retail and VET Automotive at TAFE SA and VTECH Automotive Services, host employers Kincraig Motors Naracoorte, Naracoorte Foodland and Kubpower Naracoorte.
The annual awards identify, showcase and celebrate the learning that regional students gain by participating in vocational education and training and Australian School-based Apprenticeships. This year, about 1000 students in the region participated in VET. Centrelink is a major sponsor for the awards, which are organised by Local Community Partnership FOCiS on Youth Inc.