Kangan Batman TAFE's 2005 top tradespeople
5 May 2005
Each year, Kangan Batman TAFE holds two Graduation and Awards Evenings to celebrate the achievements of its students.
The second of these events will be on Friday 13 May. This night focuses mainly on students from the trade training areas, including automotive, aviation, building and construction, and horticulture.
Major awards to be presented 13 May:
Apprentice of the Year Award & Gold Medallion Award, Industrial Technologies
Rebecca Tapscott
Winner: Rebecca Tapscott
Lives in Ardeer, studied at Broadmeadows campus
Although she works in the aviation industry, Rebecca Tapscott has her feet firmly on the ground, repairing planes as an apprentice with Qantas.
After school, Rebecca studied biological sciences at university for two years, but then realised she wanted to work with her hands. She completed a welding and fabrication course before successfully applying for an apprenticeship with Qantas, a great achievement as Qantas only hires six apprentices each year in her field.
Since then, Rebecca has excelled in both her on and off-the-job learning, winning the outstanding student award in each year of her TAFE training.
Although it is still rare to find women working in trades, Rebecca modestly denies she is breaking new ground. "In the war it was always the men who flew the planes and the women who fixed them!", she explains.
Rebecca is now in the fourth year of her apprenticeship and is already planning to complete an advanced diploma and later a degree in engineering or aviation. By the end of the year she will also have completed eight of the 13 Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) courses required to become a licensed aircraft engineer.
Rebecca is also receiving the Silver Medallion for the Aviation and Engineering Department, and the Outstanding Achievement Award (3rd Year) for the Certificate IV in Aeroskills (Aircraft Maintenance Structures).
Gold Medallion Award, Automotive
Ben Reading
Winner: Ben Reading
Lives in Chirnside Park, studied at Richmond Campus
Ben Reading, an apprentice auto electrician, is this year's winner of the Gold Medallion for the top student in our entire Automotive school, covering two campuses, Coburg and Richmond.
Ben's teachers describe him as being extremely dedicated to both his work and off-the-job training, a quiet achiever who always strives for excellence. An example is the fact that he was able to complete the TAFE component of his apprenticeship in around two-thirds of the allocated time.
His teachers also say he is highly professional, and a team player with excellent social skills. Before starting his apprenticeship, Ben had done an electronics course and worked for a year-and-a-half at Strathfield Car Radio, which gave him additional knowledge that he was happy to share with his classmates.
Ben is also receiving the Silver Medallion for the Automotive Specialist Trades area, and the Outstanding Achievement Award for Certificate III in Automotive Electrical (Level III).
Harold C Richards Student of the Year Award
Joint winners: Stelios Stylianou and Robert Ireland
This award is presented to a student who has overcome hardship to excel in their course. It is named after Harold Richards, the inaugural Council President of Broadmeadows College of TAFE (in which Kangan Batman TAFE has its origins).
Stelios Stylianou
Stelios Stylianou
Lives in Lower Templestowe, studied at Essendon Campus
Stelios Stylianou was a mechanic in his homeland of Greece and continued this work when he came to Australia, eventually starting his own auto repairs business. In 2004, Stelios decided to gain a teaching qualification - the Diploma of Vocational Education and Training - so that he could pass his skills and passion for the trade onto young people.
During his studies, Stelios had to deal with the serious illnesses of both his wife and business partner, as well as looking after his two children and continuing to run his auto repairs business. Those stresses nearly caused him to abandon his studies, but somehow he persevered.
Stelios's teachers describe him as an extremely committed and well-organised student. He would do his homework late at night after getting his children to bed, and would study in the local public library on breaks at work during the day.
Robert Ireland
Robert Ireland
Lives in East Keilor, studied at Broadmeadows Campus
The joint winner of this award, Robert Ireland, equally impressed the judges with his resilience and courage. Robert recently completed his building and construction pre-apprenticeship, despite having to miss several weeks of the course after being badly injured at a social event one Saturday night.
Although he physically recovered, for some time he had a fear of going outside and being among crowds of people. Even so, he pushed himself to return to TAFE and put in the extra work to catch up to his classmates.
Robert's teachers have commended his enthusiasm for his trade and his love of working with wood. They have also praised his dedication in successfully completing his course despite serious setbacks.
Robert is now keen to gain an apprenticeship to become a qualified carpenter.
Outstanding Student in VET In Schools Award
Kelvin French
Winner: Kelvin French
Lives in Keilor, studied at Broadmeadows Campus
Kelvin French is no stranger to winning awards. He completed the Certificate II in Building and Construction through the VET (vocational education and training) in Schools program, and during that time won numerous awards. He won Kangan Batman's VET in Schools Award for his Year 11 studies, and is now winning it a second time for his work during Year 12.
Kelvin also won the Regional WorldSkills VET in Schools competition in his trade area, and went on to win a Bronze medal in the Carpentry category and Gold in the team event of the national WorldSkills competition.
Kelvin has been interested in building and carpentry from a young age, and did work experience on building sites every school holiday from Year 10 onwards. Since completing Year 12, Kelvin has completed a pre-apprenticeship course and is now doing an apprenticeship.
Kelvin's teachers attribute his successes to the high quality of his workmanship, his initiative and intelligence and professional manner.
Kelvin hopes to have his own business by the age of 25, or be the number one builder within a large company. He plans to study in areas such as accounting and business management while completing his apprenticeship.
Further information about the Graduation and Awards Evenings
Each of the institute's two Graduation and Awards Evenings attracts an audience of around 800, including the students, their family and friends, and representatives from the many industry and community organisations who sponsor student awards. The events are compered by media personality, Jo Pearson.
JobsPlus is supporting sponsor of the 13 May Graduation and Awards Evening.
Kangan Batman TAFE is a multidiscipline TAFE institute with 26,000 students across its seven campuses in Broadmeadows, Craigieburn, Moreland, Essendon, Coburg, Avondale Heights and Richmond.
