ISS Institute May Newsletter

The International Specialised Skills Institute
newsletter

Welcome to the May edition of the ISS Institute Newsletter!
 
As we have closed the applications for a number of our Fellowships in the last few weeks, we have been interviewing and carefully deciding our new 2024 Fellows and are thrilled to announce some of them today.
 
Before we dive, a friendly reminder that applications for the 2024 Australian VET Sustainability Fellowship are still open! This is an incredible opportunity for VET practitioners and academic researchers passionate about sustainability to gain invaluable experience abroad. If you know anyone working or conducting research in sustainability sector, please share. The deadline is fast approaching on May 31st, so don't miss out!
 
And mark your calendars: the second round of applications for the VET International Practitioner Fellowship opens on June 1st.
 
Recently, we published reports from VET International Practitioner Fellows Michele Tocci, Tammy Casselson, and Elizabeth Knight. Be sure to delve into their insightful Fellowship experiences and have a read of their reports below!
 
Finally, we are delighted to announce Joshua Searle and James Lemon as our 2024 Mason Family Trust Fellows. As part of their Fellowship, Searle will be travelling to Columbia to investigate and examine Indigenous goldsmithing & sculptural practices, while Lemon will be furthering his expertise in heritage glaze finishes and ancient throwing techniques. We would like to congratulate both of them on this amazing achievement! 
  
Keep an eye out on your inbox for our next newsletter as we have more exciting Fellowship announcements to make.
 
Wishing everyone a warm and wonderful week ahead!
 
Take Care,
The International Specialised Skills Team

Australian VET Sustainability FellowshipOpen Now! Applications close on Friday 31 May.

Applications for the VET Australian Sustainability Fellowship are open! The VET Development Centre (VDC) and ISS Institute are offering one International travel Fellowship valued at $15,000. If you or anyone you know is working or researching in the sustainability sector, please share with them. This is there chance to make a real change in Australia's sustainability practices.
 
Click here for more info and to apply now.
Be quick, applications close 31st May.

Italian Australian Foundation FellowshipOpen now, closing May 31st

Italian Australian Foundation Fellowship applications are open! Find more information about the Fellowship and eligibility on our website here.
 

Register

New Fellowship Reports

Michele Tocci's report explores international trends to ensure training drives meaningful behavioural change. Identifying strategies used by global educational institutions to engage adult learners, structure training, and foster behavioural transformations. The aim is to ensure that training is the catalyst for behavioural change, going beyond knowledge transfer to empower learners professionally.

Tammy Casselson's report aims to develop best practices and an implementation strategy for mindfulness-based wellbeing programs. The goal is to proactively equip staff, educators, and students with resilience skills to improve their wellbeing and performance. The program focuses on building inclusive communities, future-readiness, mental health improvement, and enhanced wellbeing. 

Elizabeth Knight's report aims to gather international insights into how to systemically support and improve the capacity of existing VET staff and trainers to become more confident inclusive practitioners, deliver positive experiences for students with disability and ensure successful completions.

Update on Fellows

An update on 2023 George Alexander Foundation Fellow, who has shared some amazing printing photos from his Tamarind Summer Workshop!

Another 2023 George Alexander Fellow, Alex Miller, is travelling around the UK  exploring community-led seed saving initiatives and customs. 
She states that "Our lives are dependent on seeds, the starting point for almost all our food. However, few Australian farmers or gardeners grow, save and share their own seeds. Seed saving has been a tradition carried out by people for thousands of years. Growers have saved seeds of the healthiest and most successful plants, creating an enormous living seed bank that preserves genetic diversity."

A garden geo-dome for winter gardening.

Seed propagation.

Drying seeds.

Do you have a question about our Fellowship? Are you concerned about international travel? Wondering if you're eligible for a Fellowship, or just want to find out more about how we operate?Check out our FAQ's

FAQs