Bendigo TAFE students had an opportunity to display and impart their skills during the 2022 Victorian TAFE Association State Conference Student Trades Expo held at Bendigo TAFE last week.
Health, Indigenous cultural arts, beauty, hair, barbering, cookery and early childhood education and care students from Bendigo TAFE participated in the expo.
Demonstrations included jewellery making, hand and foot massages, glamour hair styling, men’s hot towel treatment, rice paper roll making and early childhood simulation, with conference delegates offered an opportunity to try their hand at various skills.
Certificate III in Hairdressing students, Sharni Smith and Rachel King, said they were very excited to showcase the skills that they’ve learnt whilst studying at Bendigo TAFE.
“We’re really excited for this opportunity and for the opportunity that Bendigo TAFE has given us to start working in the salon, and in the hairdressing industry,” Sharni said.
“Hairdressing is a fast-paced industry, and we are so lucky to get hands on experience in the salon and to show off our skills to the guests today,” Rachel said.
Featuring presentations from the Hon. Gayle Tierney MP – Minister for Training and Skills and Higher Education – and the Hon. David Hodgett MP – Shadow Minister for Education, Early Childhood and Children, Higher Education, Training and Skills – the 2022 Victorian TAFE Association State Conference was held in Bendigo from 25-26 August.
The two-day conference included keynote addresses and panel sessions at Bendigo Town Hall, as well as a Student Trades Expo and campus tour at Bendigo TAFE’s newly revitalised City Campus.
Attended by more than 140 delegates, the Conference theme was Leading Through Change, and saw sector leaders gather to discuss contemporary issues, convey big picture ideas, communicate trends and engage in collaborative consultation.
Bendigo TAFE CEO Sally Curtain said it was a privilege to be a host for the event and to show off the Bendigo City Campus.
“The annual Victorian TAFE Association State Conference is a valuable forum for our training sector to come together and drive continuous improvement. Bendigo TAFE is privileged to have an opportunity to host the conference this year and present our beautiful city and revitalised City Campus to delegates from all over the state,” said Ms Curtain.
“I’d like to especially highlight our talented students and educators who presented a great variety of skills and creativity at the Bendigo TAFE Student Trades Expo. Their showcase brought to life the tangible impact of TAFE, which is to enable individual with skills and expertise to succeed in life.”
As part of the conference line-up, the revitalised Bendigo TAFE city campus was on display highlighting the mix of new and refurbished heritage-listed buildings, a new bakery and restaurant training facilities, hair, beauty and barbering salons, and a new Indigenous Education Centre.
Other conference highlights included a conversation with Victorian Teacher of the Year 2021 and Bendigo TAFE individual support teacher Julie Kramer, who shared her insights and experience in vocational education and training. She was joined by Bendigo TAFE graphic design student Talesha Jones who spoke of her experience as a vocational student in Bendigo.
The Victorian TAFE Association is the peak body for Victoria’s TAFE network, playing a key role in representing Victorian TAFE institutes and dual sector universities at state and federal levels.
