From Kenya to the award's stage, Engadine's Verity Snaith has achieved another exceptional feat, winning vocational student of the year at the southern and south western regional training awards on June 20.
The annual Training Services NSW event recognises and rewards the outstanding achievements of vocational students and demonstrates the extent of quality education in the vocational education and training sector.
The TAFE Digital student has been working on a permaculture project for Kenya Aid, a charity she established with her husband, St George Hospital emergency staff specialist, Ryan Snaith.
"Prior to completing the Diploma of Landscape Design, I didn't have the skills to design, implement and manage a large-scale community permaculture project in Shikunga, Kenya," Mrs Snaith said.
"I now have the skills required to transform the local school grounds into a thriving permaculture food forest and education hub that empowers the local community towards food security in what is otherwise a highly climactically variable area of subsistence farming.
"We anticipate that produce from the permaculture project will provide lunch to 200 children a day, offer an income stream for community members, and give HIV positive patients at our hospital access to fresh produce, which is vital to their ongoing wellbeing."
TAFE Digital general manager Megan Aitken says Mrs Snaith is a "wonderful ambassador" for online learninig and for TAFE NSW.
"I have no doubt Mrs Snaith will continue to forge ahead with the valuable work she is doing in Kenya," she said.
The winners will be considered for the NSW Training Awards, which will be held in Sydney in September.
