It was a significant weekend for David, with his longstanding contributions to vocational education and community service recognised through two major honours.
David was named the VET Teacher or Trainer of the Year for the North Coast Region at the 2026 Queensland Training Awards.
The award recognises his exceptional dedication, industry leadership and innovative approach to vocational education and training.
After leaving the Training Awards function, David attended the National Foster and Kinship Care Conference at Twin Waters, where he received an Honorary Life Membership from Queensland Foster and Kinship Care.
North Coast Region Winner
David was named the 2026 North Coast Region VET Teacher or Trainer of the Year in recognition of his contribution to vocational education and workforce development.
Honorary Life Membership
David’s Honorary Life Membership recognises 20 years of voluntary service, advocacy and support for foster and kinship carers.
Recognising an exceptional career in vocational education
Horizon 2 is proud to celebrate David’s selection as the North Coast Region VET Teacher or Trainer of the Year.
The award recognises David’s commitment to inclusive education and his use of vocational education as a practical mechanism for strengthening workforces, organisations and communities.
Across his career, David has supported more than 20,000 students to complete vocational education and training qualifications.
His work has extended throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, including the delivery of education within regional and remote communities.
A distinguished career
Leadership across education, government and community services
A qualified criminologist and former Queensland University of Technology lecturer, David brings extensive practical and academic experience to his leadership and training work with Horizon 2.
His career has included 13 years teaching the Police Preparation Program at TAFE Queensland and 18 years in the Queensland Public Service.
During his public-sector career, David held senior leadership roles spanning child safety, community services, clinical education and health workforce training.
David’s senior public-sector roles included:
- Director of the Training and Specialist Support Branch within the Department of Child Safety
- Director of Regional Services Delivery Operations Training within the Department of Communities
- Senior Director of Clinical Education and Training Queensland within Queensland Health
David also served for five years as a Board Director of the Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council.
During this period, he chaired the Training Package Advisory Committee for CHC08, the landmark version that combined the health and community services training packages for the first time.
Workforce development
Using vocational education to address complex workforce challenges
David is recognised nationally for using vocational education to address workforce challenges including attraction, recruitment, induction, development and retention.
Through Horizon 2 and his broader work across the vocational education sector, David has led the delivery of training, assessment and workforce development solutions across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.
His approach focuses on ensuring vocational education responds to genuine industry and community needs rather than operating as a standalone training activity.
Northern Territory child protection
David designed the vocational pathway used to train statutory child protection officers within the Northern Territory.
Remote community delivery
He has led high-quality training across remote Australia for more than 15 years, demonstrating that location should not limit access to education.
International workforce initiatives
His work has included supporting aged-care workforce initiatives involving Samoa, the Northern Territory and New Zealand.
First Nations education
David has collaborated with Elders and communities to implement culturally responsive approaches including yarning circles, learning maps, story sharing and group problem-solving.
These culturally responsive approaches have contributed to exceptional outcomes, including 100 per cent completion within remote Northern Territory communities.
Inclusive education and social impact
Creating opportunities for people facing disadvantage
A significant part of David’s career has focused on developing vocational education responses to entrenched disadvantage and complex community challenges.
David has designed and delivered specialised programs for:
- Children and young people transitioning from state care
- Young people involved in the justice system
- Women escaping domestic and family violence
- Migrant and culturally diverse women
- Foster, kinship and First Nations carers
David recently developed and delivered a First Nations domestic and family violence-focused Certificate III in Community Services, supporting the development of a dedicated Indigenous domestic and family violence workforce.
Following his completion of a Graduate Certificate in Management (Learning), David designed and authored the draft Diploma of Inclusive Training and Assessment.
The proposed course is designed to equip vocational education practitioners with practical strategies for supporting students experiencing sociological disadvantage and educational barriers.
Twenty years of voluntary service
Honorary Life Membership from Queensland Foster and Kinship Care
David’s weekend of recognition continued at the National Foster and Kinship Care Conference at Twin Waters.
At the conference, David received an Honorary Life Membership from Queensland Foster and Kinship Care in recognition of the support he has provided over the past 20 years.
David has served as Master of Ceremonies for the conference for 18 of the past 20 years and has contributed his expertise, advocacy and support to the organisation and its carers in numerous ways.
His contribution has continued both during and following his career with the Department of Child Safety.
Celebrating leadership and service
A remarkable contribution to vocational education and the community
The Horizon 2 team congratulates David on these significant achievements and the enduring impact of his work across vocational education, community services and foster and kinship care.
These honours recognise not only David’s professional expertise, but also his commitment to making quality education more accessible, inclusive and responsive to the needs of communities.
We are proud to have David as part of Horizon 2’s leadership and training team and look forward to the next chapter of his contribution to vocational education and community development.