Chisholm TAFE in Dandenong has struck gold twice at an international awards event in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Commercial cookery graduate Leela Subramanium and Chisholm’s community and social services manager Raelene Stockton took out the highest honours at the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics Awards (WFCPA).
A mature-age student in 2022, Subramanium is now a senior sous chef managing eight kitchen staff at Flinders Hotel on the Mornington Peninsula.
She took out the WFCPA’s Outstanding Student Achievement Award.
“Training at Chisholm built my confidence and gave me several life-changing opportunities,” Subramanium said.
“Previously, I was nervous and afraid to make a mistake, but TAFE provided a nurturing space for me to learn, free from judgement.”
She is now set for an internship at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Oslo, Norway.
Her dream is to create a social enterprise restaurant that provides training for disadvantaged youth in remote areas.
Meanwhile, Stockton won the WFCPA Leadership in Diversity and Inclusion award.
She established Chisholm’s Family Violence Training Hub, initiated a Family Violence Community of Practice for trainers and led the design and delivery of Australia’s first accredited gender-equity qualification.
Stockton has devoted her career to creating specialized education and training to address family violence, and contributed to Government policy.
Chisholm chief executive officer Stephen Varty said the pair’s international recognition was a “significant honour”.
