Professional development

ECEC students in top training talent named in QLD Training Awards

Freya Lucas

Aug 26, 2020

Save

As National Skills Week begins, the top performers in training, who will represent their regions in the 2020 Queensland Training Awards (QTA) have been announced.

The winners from the 221 finalists will be announced at the awards ceremony in September, with Queensland Minister for Training and Skills Development Shannon Fentiman sending her congratulations to the finalists.

“Queensland is home to so many talented students, hardworking teachers, successful training organisations and fantastic employers,” Ms Fentiman said.

“And all of them play an important role in ensuring we have the skilled workforce needed for the jobs now and into the future.”

Acknowledging the challenges of 2020, Ms Fentiman said her Government is “committed to backing every Queenslander” through quality training opportunities.

“As we Unite and Recover for Queensland Jobs, we know that training and skilling will be critical” she said, saying the QTAs offer an opportunity for those in the sector to “celebrate Queensland’s resilience, talent and success, despite the challenge we have all faced”.

A number of early childhood education and care (ECEC) professionals and organisations are represented amongst the finalists, including Danielle Fourmile who is the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year finalist representing Tropical North Queensland as she completes her Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care with MiHaven Training.

Lagaau Leaa, who is the School-based Apprentice or Trainee of the Year for the South East region, is studying a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care through Charlton Brown Australia Nanny College while completing studies at Woodridge State High School.

The winners from the seven regions will be announced online on 11 September and the state winners on 18 September, Ms Fentiman said, noting that the nomination window had been extended in 2020 across the 11 regional award categories, leading to more than 700 nominations.

“We have a fantastic field of finalists representing different communities, industries and skills,” Ms Fentiman said, adding that she was “especially looking forward to giving some good news to the winners in the Small Employer of the Year category as many of them will have been hit hard during this pandemic.”

Full lists of finalists can be found here.

Don’t miss a thing

New Geccko course simplifies payments, fees and CCS obligations for ECEC services

A new online learning course launched on the Geccko platform is helping early childhood education and care (ECEC) providers better understand how to manage payments, gap fees and Child Care Subsidy (CCS) entitlements in line with Family Assistance Law.

What is ARACY and how can The Nest support early childhood services

The Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) has shaped the national conversation on child and youth wellbeing for more than two decades. Its flagship Nest Wellbeing Framework is increasingly used by organisations to align strategy, measure outcomes and strengthen collaboration.

Skilled migration opportunities for early childhood teachers to teach in Victoria

New opportunities are available for qualified early childhood professionals to build meaningful careers through the state’s skilled migration program.

Edge Early Learning becomes first QLD provider to embed Life Ed wellbeing and safety program across all centres

Edge Early Learning has announced a new statewide partnership with Life Ed Queensland that will see a comprehensive wellbeing, safety and school-readiness program embedded across every Edge centre in Queensland from January 2026, the first early learning provider in the state to take this integrated, whole-centre approach.

Looking ahead: What the ECEC sector can expect in 2026

As 2026 begins, early childhood education and care (ECEC) services across Australia are preparing for a year of substantial reform, focused on strengthening child safety and raising the bar on national standards. Following a series of agreements by Education Ministers in 2025, new changes to the National Quality Framework (NQF) and the Education and Care Services National Law will take effect progressively throughout the year. These reforms reflect the shared commitment of educators, families, communities and governments to place child safety and wellbeing at the centre of early learning environments.

New Geccko course simplifies payments, fees and CCS obligations for ECEC services

What is ARACY and how can The Nest support early childhood services

Skilled migration opportunities for early childhood teachers to teach in Victoria

New opportunities are available for qualified early childhood professionals to build meaningful careers through the state’s skilled migration program.