Seasons Greetings: Aviation Australia will be closed from December 23, 2024, to January 5, 2025.

Winners of the 2022 Aerospace Industry Education Awards are Announced

Students, teachers, industry sponsors and supporters are celebrating today as the winners of the annual Aerospace Industry Education Awards are announced during a ceremony at Aviation Australia’s aircraft training hangar, Brisbane airport.

The awards, now in their 18th year, continue to recognise the efforts and achievements of students and teachers from the participating Aerospace Gateway to Industry Schools across Queensland.

The Aerospace Gateway to Industry Schools project is supported by more than 30 aerospace industry partners, including global brands and industry leaders who generously lend their support to these prestigious awards.

The Gateway to Industry Schools Aerospace project is funded by the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training and proudly hosted by Aviation Australia. This project gives students the opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills required to enter the exciting aviation and aerospace industry.

At today’s ceremony, Minister for Employment and Small Business and Minister for Training and Skills Development Di Farmer said the Queensland Government was committed to supporting good people into good jobs like those offered in the aerospace sector.

“The recently launched Queensland Workforce Strategy aims to ensure Queensland has the workforce to support growth, strengthen communities and keep the state at the forefront of new economic opportunities,” Minister Farmer said.

“We are doing this through a broad range of initiatives including our highly successful Gateway to Industry Schools Program, with Aviation Australia playing a key role leading the program’s aerospace project.

“Aviation Australia has also secured funding from the latest round of the Queensland Government’s School to Work Transitions Program to deliver ‘job ready’ training programs to allow successful candidates to be employed in aviation trades assistance roles,” she said.

The Project Manager for the Aerospace Gateway to Industry Schools Program Natalie Allen said there were 137 applications this year from 16 participating Aerospace Gateway Schools across Queensland.

“We were thrilled to fly in regional school students for the first time since 2019, thanks to Jetstar and Virgin Australia,” Mrs Allen said.

“We introduced our newest award category this year, Aerospace Gateway School of the Year, sponsored by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).

“This award recognises a school that demonstrates an ongoing commitment to aerospace education through their active involvement in program initiatives, creative contextualised learning opportunities for students and continuous exposure to aerospace career possibilities,” she said.

 

The following winners were announced:

Year 10 Aerospace Award – Sponsored by GE Aerospace

  • Winner: Maddison-Rose Coulson – Mueller College

Future Aerospace Award sponsored by Australian Youth Aerospace Association

  • Winner: Eva Gosson – Coolum State High School, and
  • Winner: Adam Towns – Aviation High School

Year 11 Aerospace Award sponsored by Qantas

  • Winner: Lochie Mentiplay – St Columban’s College
  • Runner up: Toby Jameson – Bowen State High School

Young Aviator Award sponsored by the Honourable Company of Air Pilots (Australian Region) & Aviation Australia

  • Winner: Kyle Newton – Aviation High School
  • Runner up: Lilly Stevens – St Mary’s College, Ipswich 

Young Innovator Award sponsored by TAE Aerospace

  • Winner: Connor McAlonan-Peril – Mueller College

Spirit of Boeing Award sponsored by Boeing Defence Australia

  • Winner: Eoghan Kuiper – Cairns State High School

Year 12 Aerospace Award sponsored by Airbus Australia Pacific

  • Winner: Hannah Picerno – Balmoral State High School

Year 12 Aerospace Project Award sponsored by the Royal Aeronautical Society

  • Winner: Sam Brinsdon – Miami State High School, and
  • Winner: Hannah Picerno – Balmoral State High School

Aeroskills Scholarship sponsored by Boeing Defence Australia

  • Winner: Shaan Kaushik – Aviation High School

Female Aerospace Scholarship sponsored by Boeing Defence Australia

  • Winner: Hannah Picerno – Balmoral State High School

Female Empowerment Award sponsored by Griffith Aviation in the School of Engineering and Built Environment

  • Winner: Kailee Dornhart – Indooroopilly State High School

Aerospace Gateway School of the Year sponsored by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority

  • Winner: Aviation High School

Teacher Excellence Award sponsored by Boeing Defence Australia, GE Aerospace & Northrop Grumman Australia

  • Winner: Nick Gates – Maroochydore State High School

 

It is students like these, whose passion for aerospace will see them continue their training and education to take up professions in the industry.

Students can pursue their passion because we have dedicated educators who are inspiring their students to reach for the sky and strive for their career in aerospace.

 

For Aerospace Gateway to Industry School enquiries, please contact:

Natalie Allen, Project Manager, Aerospace Gateway Schools

0436 838 112 | [email protected]