Certificate III in Community Services student Martin Gillies, who along with Flavia from NMTAFE, won the International VET Student of the Year at last week's CISWA Council for International Students of WA Annual Winter Conference(opens in a new tab) .
Martin has achieved academic success and passed every assessment on the first attempt and has received positive feedback from teachers on his depth of knowledge and understanding. Martin has been able to assist other students in their learning by drawing on his practical experience to explain scenarios and relevant procedures.
Martin is a support worker for St Jude’s Disability, providing home care and help to a client with autism and assists in facilitating social interactions and empowering them to achieve their goals. In the position of lead facilitator with Cahoots, an organisation providing opportunities for children and young people living with disability, Martin is involved in the roll out of “Youth at Risk” camps and “All Abilities 18+” day programs.
Whilst studying, Martin has also volunteered with the Release Support team at AccordWest. Through this program Martin has helped clients who are soon to be released or have recently been released from prison. Martin has acted in a support capacity when they are new to the community, assisting them to access services, advocating on their behalf to attain the help they need. Martin has assisted in delivering “Life Skills” training programs to guide people in finding jobs and staying healthy.
Martin is a regular volunteer and participant at Bunbury Parkrun. As a Parkrun volunteer Martin acts as a guide runner for a visually impaired athlete and is involved in timekeeping, distributing finish tokens and overseeing the overall success of the events. Martin has a great passion for Parkrun and has been involved for over eight years.