Top of the class: Indigenous radio trainee wins state award

In September 2007, a young man called Mike Rennie won the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year award, which recognises outstanding achievements in vocational education. Mike's winning qualification was a Certificate III in Radio Broadcasting, completed through the Brisbane Indigenous Media Association (BIMA). BIMA is the not-for-profit organisation behind the Indigenous radio station 989fm and its Registered Training Organisation, Triple A Training. Mike believes there is a real need for media training in remote Indigenous communities. More intensive programs are required in order to raise digital literacy within communities, skill up local media workers and create culturally appropriate courseware. Vocational training stands for jobs and sustainable industries. In the creative industries training also results in social and cultural outcomes.