Training Provider of the Year

Winner : Charles Darwin University

As the NT’s largest training provider, Charles Darwin University (CDU) has a major and multi-faceted role in the region’s economic and social development. The clearest evidence of this is in the university’s support for emerging industries of resource development and a growing Defence force presence.

The university recently invested $1 million in instrumentation for an electrotechnology laboratory to accommodate the demand for high-level qualifications in the resources sector, and has also announced a North Australian Centre for Oil and Gas as part of a $3 million agreement with INPEX Ichthys LNG Project.

The training programs offered by CDU assist industry, employers, government and a diverse range of large and small businesses to achieve their goals. The university provides training for 200 VET qualifications ranging from non-award courses to certificates and diplomas. The qualifications are primarily offered through four schools - the School of Trades; the School of Business and Service Industries; the School of Primary Industries; and the School of VET Health, Community and Children’s Services.

The university’s training mission is to significantly contribute to the economic and community development of the NT as a continuously improving and prosperous multi-sector education and training organisation. This mission is supported by several main objectives. They include the creation of rich learning environments in unique regional locations, being a preferred choice for Aboriginal students, actively pursuing partnerships which strengthen capacity whilst delivering mutually beneficial outcomes and providing a regional institution acknowledged for the quality and excellence of its programs and its support for students and staff.

The university builds strong links between the VET and higher education spheres to the extent that lecturers are shared between many of the sectors. CDU operates on a large scale and has broad reach that boasts more than 21,000 VET and higher education students, and vocational training being delivered in more than 150 locations throughout the NT.

Runner up: The Arnhem Land Progress Aboriginal Corporation