Background
The Australian Vocational Student Prize (AVSP) recognises and rewards outstanding senior secondary students undertaking Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Schools programs or Australian School-based Apprenticeships. It is the vocational equivalent to the Australian Student Prize (formerly known as the Lord Florey Student Prize) for academic achievement. The AVSP promotes VET as a valuable and desirable pathway for students, equivalent to other secondary and tertiary education.
Rewards
- Each year, the AVSP rewards up to 500 Year 12 students.
- Winners are selected for demonstrating exceptional skill, commitment and achievement while
participating in a VET in Schools program or an Australian School-based Apprenticeship.
- Students are nominated by their school principal and each winner receives a cash prize of $2,000 and a certificate.
Nominations and Selection Criteria
Secondary school principals are invited to nominate no more than two outstanding Year 12 students from their school (one student from each of the following categories):
A student is eligible for nomination if he/she:
- will complete Year 12 in 2008;
- has completed, as part of their senior secondary studies, a Vocational Education and Training in Schools program or an Australian School-based Apprenticeship to a minimum Certificate II level;
- has their Vocational Education and Training in Schools or Australian School-based Apprenticeship results recorded on their 2008 senior secondary school certificate; and
- is an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
Nominations close on 24 December 2008
The online nomination form is available at AVSP Online Nomination Form and guidelines to completing the online nomination form are available at AVSP Guidelines - PDF 
(128.3 KB) RTF 
(5.4 MB)
The AVSP online nomination form is comprised of four separate sections - the principal section, the student section, the employer section and the RTO section. The principal initiates the nomination process by completing the principal section of the form. At the end of this section, the principal is prompted to email the remaining three sections of the nomination form to the other parties involved in the process. After each party has completed their section of the nomination form, they are prompted to submit it to the Department. The four parts of the nomination form will be collated by the Department and assessed after the nomination closing date. It is thus advisable that all parties are made aware of their role in the nomination process, including the necessity for an active email prior to a nomination being initiated.
The templates below indicate the information required in each section. Note, these templates are for reference purposes only and are not to be submitted in place of the Online Nomination Form.
AVSP – Principal Form (PDF) (90.1 KB) RTF (7.5 MB)
AVSP – Student Form (PDF) (84.9 KB) RTF (3.5 MB)
AVSP – Employer Form (PDF) (70.7 KB) RTF (2.4 MB)
AVSP – RTO Form (PDF) (74.6 KB) RTF (2.5 MB)
If the student completing their section of the online nomination form is under the age of 16 (at the time of nomination) the system will generate a Parent/Guardian Consent Form which must be completed and signed by the parent/guardian and faxed to the Department on (02) 6123 6951.
AVSP – Parent-Guardian Consent Form (PDF) (70.2 KB) RTF (2.5 MB)
If you experience difficulties completing the online nomination form, please contact 02 6240 8009. Alternatively, a faxed nomination form can be submitted to the Department and is available at AVSP Fax Nomination Form.
Further recognition of Australia’s most exceptional VET students
The most exceptional recipients of the Australian Vocational Student Prize are selected to receive the Prime Minister’s Award for Skills Excellence in School. Winners of this prestigious award include the highest achieving student in each state and territory, the highest achieving Indigenous student, and the highest achieving student by industry category.
Enquiries should be directed to:
Telephone - 1300 363 079
Email - avsp@deewr.gov.au