Celebrating Our NSW AEN Awards Finalists

The Australian Industry Group Apprentice & Trainee Centre was proud to celebrate the achievements of two outstanding individuals who were recently named finalists at the NSW Apprentice Employment Network (AEN) Awards.

Third-year Mechanical Engineering Apprentice Michael Hilton, hosted by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), was selected as a finalist in the Apprentice of the Year category. Michael’s nomination recognised his outstanding technical development, commitment to learning and strong contribution to the maintenance team at CCEP, where he has built a reputation as a reliable and highly capable apprentice.

Also recognised as a finalist was Makayla Dare, hosted by Linde Material Handling, in the First Nations Trainee of the Year category. Makayla’s nomination highlighted her exceptional achievements throughout her Certificate III in Business traineeship, her commitment to professional development, and her passion for sharing and celebrating First Nations culture through her artwork and community involvement.

While neither finalist was announced as the winner on the night, the event provided a fantastic opportunity to recognise and celebrate their achievements alongside their supporters and colleagues. Representing the Australian Industry Group ATC were Craig Hilton and Bec Tindal, who were delighted to attend the awards and acknowledge the significant accomplishments of both finalists.

Michael attended with his partner Imogene, along with Peter Henderson from Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, while Makayla was joined by her mum and Robert Armugam from Linde Material Handling. It was wonderful to see everyone come together to celebrate the hard work, dedication and commitment that had earned both finalists recognition at a state level.

The evening was a great reminder of the important role apprenticeships and traineeships play in developing future talent and showcased the strong partnerships between apprentices, trainees, host businesses and the Australian Industry Group ATC. The evening also highlighted the strength of the group training industry in New South Wales, with an exceptional calibre of finalists and strong support from group training organisations and host employers demonstrating the important contribution the sector makes to developing Australia’s future skilled workforce.

We congratulate both Michael and Makayla on their outstanding achievements and thank everyone who attended to help celebrate what was a memorable and successful evening for our ATC.