Signwriting student Tylah Field has won the Student of the Year award from more than 1,000 students from various trades at the 2019 Sydney region TAFE NSW Student Excellence Awards at Ryde Campus. Field also took home the Infrastructure, Energy & Construction (IEC) Student of the Year award.
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| Tylah Field - 2019 Sydney region TAFE NSW Student of the Year |
“I am proud and thrilled that a student from the Infrastructure, Energy & Construction Skills Team was awarded the major award for the evening, Student of the Year,” says Mark Hawkins, Head of Skills Team - IEC, Sydney TAFE, NSW
“Tylah Field is a talented Signwriting student who attended the Signs & Graphics course at Ultimo Campus.
“Tylah is an incredibly independent and strong young woman who is achieving great things within in her industry, inclusive of a Gold Medal at last year’s National WorldSkills Competition. Tylah was also awarded the IEC Student of the Year.”
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| (l-r) Alison Wood; Regional GM, TAFE NSW Sydney; Tylah Field; Mark Hawkins; Head of Skills Team. Infrastructure, Energy & Construction, TAFE Sydney region |
Hawkins also paid tribute to Paul Richards, TAFE Ultimo’s head teacher of Signs & Graphics, Painting & Decorating.
“I would like to recognise the team at the Painting & Decorating/Signwriting section, in particular Paul Richards, head teacher, who personally taught and mentored Tylah throughout her course.
“This is great recognition for the amazing work that we do in influencing and changing people’s lives in a positive way. Additionally, it strengthens and promotes the profile of our Skills Team within the broader organisation.”
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| (l-r) Paul Richards, head teacher Sign & Graphics TAFE Ultimo; Student of the Year Tylah Field |
Richards thanked his teaching colleagues and said the signage students at Ultimo were always a "great crew."
“I’d like to acknowledge Ray Carroll who taught Tylah for a couple of elective units at the end of her course and Richard Graham who was also involved.
“Our students have received a lot of acknowledgement this year from TAFE & the industry, notably Gold & Silver in the Australian Signs & Graphics Awards apprentice category, national gold medal at WorldSkills and now this.
“My first thoughts as the head teacher usually focus on the students who just missed out on awards and recognition who I know were also deserving.
“The signage students at Ultimo are always a great crew. Most of our groups form communities of practice that include us and stay in touch long after they graduate. All of the above makes the teaching easy and it doesn’t take too much guidance or mentoring from us for our students to achieve excellence.”
ASGA general manager Michael Punch says: “It’s a great result for the sign & graphics industry and all associated with Tylah. Full marks to Paul and his team at TAFE Sydney. He is certainly well versed with the delivery of the new CERT III in Signs & Graphics and student numbers there are most encouraging. Paul is always happy to seek advice from sign industry company owners when requiring subject matter insights. This ensures relevance of delivery in the trade.”
