Last year we lost a champion of the Victorian TAFE system, Virginia Simmons AO.
To acknowledge the huge impact Virginia had on the Victorian TAFE system the VTA Board decided to create an award that honours her life and legacy and recognises the impactful work of other women in TAFE.
Virginia had a long and distinguished career in TAFE leadership across four decades. She was a pioneer in her field and has had a profound and lasting positive impact on the VET sector in Victoria. Her legacy is marked by her inspirational efforts to support disadvantaged learners, promote and mentor women in leadership, and advocate for the public TAFE system.
She was the first woman to become the Director of a TAFE institute and the longest-serving female TAFE CEO in Victoria. She was instrumental in driving the creation of the VTA as a peak body for TAFE Institutes and in its early leadership.
Virginia was pivotal in the creation of the first VTA International Women’s Day event in 1998, celebrating the contribution of women across all aspects of the TAFE system.
As CEO of both the Kangan Institute and the Chisholm Institute, her achievements included pioneering initiatives to improve service provision – such as recognition of prior learning – as well as policy change and reform, and a dedication to improving community perceptions of TAFE.
She was a beacon of inspiring leadership. She led with enthusiasm, integrity, intelligence and good humour.
As a leader widely respected for her skills and knowledge, Virginia demonstrated a deep commitment to social justice, including driving access to TAFE and quality education for all, particularly the disadvantaged. She led significant projects including the establishment of the Caroline Chisholm Education Foundation which has supported several thousand disadvantaged youth and adults.
In post-retirement, Virginia continued to actively contribute to the TAFE and training sector.
In 2010 Virginia was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for her significant contribution to education, in 2011 she was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women and in 2024 she was the recipient of the Victorian Skills Authority Outstanding Achievement in the TAFE and Skills Sector Award.
Ahead of the Victorian TAFE Association’s International Women’s Day lunch this year, all TAFE Institutes and Dual Sector Universities were invited to nominate a woman who has made a significant impact in one or more of the following areas:
- Consistently exceeding expectations, demonstrating outstanding performance in their role and demonstrating a strong commitment to the growth and success of their Institute, colleagues, and/or students.
- making a significant contribution into the support and empowerment of priority learner cohorts including but not limited to Koorie learners, women, LGBTQ+ people, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
- promoting and mentoring women in TAFE
- advocating for TAFE and vocational education within the wider community, the VET sector and/or with sector partners.
The nominees were assessed for their impact across these areas, and one winner was selected by the VTA Board.
In 2026, the inaugural winner of the Virginia Simmons Women in TAFE Award is Kerry Dent, Head Student Support, Chisholm Institute.
Kerry exemplifies contemporary TAFE leadership and Virginia’s legacy of expanding access, championing social justice and strengthening the public TAFE system in both practice and impact.
During her term at Chisholm, Kerry has led the shift from reactive case handling to proactive, journey‑based support and tripled service reach and demand while strengthening quality, safety and ease of connection. Her philosophy is clear: design for the student journey and the moments that matter.
She has implemented a mature, layered operating model that integrates self-service at scale, targeted group delivery at key transition points, and rapid pathways into specialist support for complex or acute needs. This architecture ensures depth of care without over-reliance on intensive one-to-one intervention. Her experience and leadership with this operating model has informed Chisholm’s EOI to be the lead TAFE in designing the statewide Student Support Module.
Her work has reshaped how student support is designed and delivered within Chisholm and has contributed meaningfully to sector practice across Victoria. Chisholm’s support architecture has been shared through the Victorian TAFE Network Good Practice and Innovation webinar series, and Institute initiatives were presented at the TAFE Directors Australia Conference in 2024. Kerry has also contributed to early TAFE‑sector family‑violence primary‑prevention work in collaboration with the Office for Women, shaping awareness initiatives and safe referral pathways suited to TAFE settings.
One powerful example of Kerry’s impact is the launch of the Elevate Program at Chisholm in 2025. This student‑success initiative, embedded in course delivery, was co‑designed between Kerry’s team and educators, and includes in-class success coaching, employability programs and support for student-led initiatives like the Chisholm Dungeons and Dragons Club and table tennis tournament.
Since its inception, educators report earlier intervention, stronger class cohesion and greater readiness for learning and Kerry is to present the Elevate programs learnings and successes at the upcoming 2026 TAFE Directors Australia Conference.
Virginia’s brother, Bill, and her niece, Ella, joined the Victorian TAFE community at the VTA’s International Women’s Day event and helped present this award to Kerry. We are grateful for their support in allowing us to present this award in Virginia’s name, ensuring that her remarkable legacy continues to inspire others.
We look forward to celebrating the extraordinary women across the Victorian TAFE Network in 2026, and to returning in 2027 to continue honouring Virginia’s legacy and the achievements of the women who follow in her footsteps.