Shellharbour Anglican College VET student Ruby Walker was awarded the VET Judges Award at the 2026 Illawarra Excellence in VET Awards.
Ruby has studied two VET subjects, Hospitality and Construction, at Shellharbour Anglican College during Years 11 and 12, and spent four weeks of her holidays participating in the required work placements for each subject.
Attending the evening as one of just 45 VET students out of over 2,200 in the Illawarra who received a Certificate of Excellence, she was delighted to also be announced as the winner of the Judges Award.
“I was so happy,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting it at all.”
This prestigious award is given at the discretion of the panel and recognises a student who goes above and beyond in both their classroom training and their work placement, demonstrating professionalism, adaptability and high level skill working with host employers.
“When the panel asked me how I found my work placements I talked about the fact that I had been on a heritage build for my construction work placement and was interested in all the different rules and regulations for a build like that,” Ruby explained.
Studying VET has been a positive experience for Ruby, who says she has had ‘heaps of support’ from her teachers all the way through.
Teacher Paul Sanders said that studying VET subjects is a great option. “I tell parents and students that VET gives students a foot in the door to a myriad of a possible careers and passions,” he explained. “Students receive practical, job-ready skills alongside their regular secondary education. They also gain soft skills such as communication, teamwork, problem solving and being adaptable in any given situation.”
Ruby is heading to TAFE with hopes to become a carpenter. But her awards won’t be forgotten. “They’ve been scanned and are going to be put up on the wall of awards bewteen the hospitality and the textiles room,” she said.