The University of Queensland’s UQ Skills has cleaned up at the Darling Downs South West regional Queensland Training Awards, which recognises successes in vocational education and training (VET).
The prestigious awards celebrate top achievers in training and learning, with UQ’s Dr Shweta Singh announced as regional winner for the VET Teacher or Trainer of the Year award, former student Jasmin Maroni announced as regional winner for the Vocational Student of the Year award, and Grace Langridge announced as a finalist.
Dr Singh is no stranger to the awards, having previously won the same award category in 2019, and having been listed as a finalist in 2020.
“I was deeply touched and humbled with this win – it’s a real honour to win this award again,” Dr Singh said.
“It motivates me to keep working smartly and uphold the high standards of teaching – I’m very proud to help make a difference at UQ Skills.”
The agribusiness lecturer’s success came largely from her ability to adapt to the challenges on online teaching, imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These times are of course unprecedented, but they have really helped me to think out-of-the-box and help my students learn in any given situation,” Dr Singh said.
“I modified my delivery model to suit COVID, embedding contingency planning and developing high quality online learning material.
“This included the transformation of a field assessment into an interactive real-industry case study, as well as an experimental teaching class where students ate a delicious curry and then tracked it from farm to fork.”
Former student Jasmin Maroni, who commenced a Diploma of Agribusiness Management with UQ Skills, said she was ecstatic about the win, which was on the back of a transformational time at UQ.
“Since completing my studies with UQ Skills, I’ve not only grown as young woman in the industry, but I have a new sense of drive, compassion and motivation,” Ms Maroni said.
“My trainers were incredibly supportive, and I really started to believe in myself.
“I think I’ve become a very approachable person, and throughout my studies, I’ve tried to help others in the courses when they were at low points.
“I’m not only passionate about the agriculture and livestock industries and would love to see more sustainable farming practices that truly give back to the planet – reusing, composting, reduce run-off where we can and limiting carbon output.”
Ms Maroni said her time with UQ Skills has been invaluable to her career.
“My experience with UQ Skills has been incredible, with Dr Shweta Singh and my family playing a significant part in my successes,” she said.
“Shweta was by myside, encouraging me and telling me that ‘you’ve got this Jazzy’.
“If anyone is wanting to study but not wanting the workload of a degree, I’d highly recommend trying a vocational training option like a diploma.
“It’s set me in good stead – within the next six months, I’ll be heading out west or up north to work on a rural property, meeting new contacts and use my skills gained in training, along-side our hard-working station families.
“I hope to pass on my knowledge and skills to younger generations, and introduce more sustainable farming methods to older, traditional farming families.”
The full list of Darling Downs South West regional winners and finalists can be found on the Queensland Government’s Department of Employment, Small Business and Training website.
Media: Dominic Jarvis, dominic.jarvis@uq.edu.au, +61 413 334 924.
