
For the third consecutive year, a Programmed Trainee has claimed the South Metropolitan TAFE (SM TAFE) Trainee of the Year Award.
Glynelle Lorenti, a former customer service worker-turned-Defence Industry Pathways Trainee, was named as the prestigious award recipient at a ceremony at the SM TAFE Bentley Pines Training Restaurant last month.
It was due recognition for Glynelle, who joined the program eager to learn new skills and to further develop her career, as she was presented with her award by the Hon. Simone McGurk MLA – West Australian Minister for Training and Workforce Development.
The Defence Industry Pathway Program (Program), a 12-month traineeship combining TAFE and on-the-job learning to prepare candidates to work within the maritime defence industry, has been an overwhelming success since its inception in 2021. Its current intake – the Program’s seventh – is set for completion in June 2024, and a trainee from the Program has now taken out the past three editions of the SM TAFE Trainee of the Year.
Zoe Gillard, a former Program Trainee and the SM TAFE Trainee of the Year in 2021, was a keynote speaker at the event, while Tom Morris, another Program Trainee, was a finalist in the Trainee of the Year category.
Speaking after being announced as the winner, Glynelle was proud her hard work was paying off – while also paying thanks to everyone who assisted her throughout the journey.
“Winning the SM TAFE Trainee of the Year Award means so much to me, as it validates all the hard work I put in over the course of the year,” she said.
“It also affirms the faith put in me by my lecturers, mentors and also the Programmed Training Coordinators.
“I was very honoured to have won.
“The staff from Programmed – and in particular Rebecca Colledge, my Training Coordinator – have offered such great support to me over the course of my training.
“She has always been so kind and understanding, listening to my needs and making adjustments as needed to maximise the benefits to me.
“I cannot speak highly enough of Programmed’s management of my traineeship.”