This award is presented to an individual who is undertaking a traineeship and has been outstanding in all aspects of their training.
Meet the finalists in the Trainee of the Year category for the 2026 South Australian Training Awards – what a trailblazing group of individuals!
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Annabel Levett is a passionate advocate for inclusive vocational education, whose studies in Training and Assessment is the culmination of her lifelong commitment to supporting others.
Employed by Aimpoint RPL, which services the Defence community, Annabel draws on her lived experience supporting her brother through significant learning difficulties, and her strong empathy, communication and leadership skills also underpin her work.
During her traineeship, Annabel has supported course coordination, learner engagement and industry-aligned training programs, helping build confidence and capability across diverse learner groups.
She is a confident communicator and advocate for VET pathways, using her voice to promote accessible, meaningful education and inspire others to pursue careers that align with their strengths.
Annabel’s ambition is to inspire others to pursue skilled pathways through vocational education. Her own journey demonstrates the power of lived experience in shaping impactful educators and building inclusive, capable communities.
Tinkering with computers and learning programming from a young age, Connor Mulholland’s traineeship at the Department for Education felt like a natural progression for him.
After working out that a university pathway wasn’t for him, Connor’s traineeship provided the more hands-on approach he was seeking – transforming his passion for technology into a successful career pathway.
Completing a Certificate IV in Information Technology, he gained hands-on experience across a range of specialist teams within the Department for Education.
Through his traineeship, Connor developed advanced technical and communication skills, becoming a subject matter expert in cloud platforms and supporting critical systems across a large organisation.
He is recognised for his initiative, commitment to continuous learning and ability to support colleagues, often mentoring others and contributing to team success.
Now a subject matter expert for critical departmental software, Connor’s career trajectory is a testament to the power of VET to turn passion into profession.
Completing a Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety with Fulton Hogan, Polly has developed strong technical capability and a commitment to creating safer, more inclusive workplaces.
After witnessing the damaging consequences of unsafe work environments early in her career, Polly was motivated to undertake formal work health and safety qualifications.
Now employed in the construction sector by Fulton Hogan, Polly brings a proactive approach to safety, extending beyond compliance to include wellbeing, culture and inclusion.
Throughout her traineeship, she has contributed to national initiatives, improved systems and supported teams across multiple projects, while stepping into leadership roles and mentoring others. She has also shown initiative by undertaking extensive additional training to become a more effective leader.
Polly combines professional expertise with strong values, demonstrating how vocational training can build capable leaders who make a lasting difference.
With a family background in both military service and engineering, a pathway into the defence industry felt like a natural fit for Sean De Robillard.
The Defence Industry Pathways Program has provided Sean with the opportunity to combine his interest in engineering with exposure to complex, large scale defence systems, while gaining real industry experience early in his career.
Through hands-on exposure to manufacturing, design, testing and quality assurance, Sean has built strong technical capability and identified a clear career direction in mechanical engineering, while gaining valuable experience across multiple organisations.
He has also demonstrated leadership and initiative, contributing to complex projects, supporting team outcomes and as a committee member of Kinect SA, a non-profit organisation working to strengthen the defence industry by forging career pathways in STEM.
Sean’s journey reflects resilience, adaptability and a commitment to continuous learning, showcasing the role of VET in enabling access to complex, high-value industries in demand.