Four Organisations.
One Mission.Together We RISE.
One Mission.Together We RISE.
The Australian vocational education and apprenticeship ecosystem is not simply about training—it’s about transformation.
It’s about opening doors, shifting culture, and rebuilding expectations in workplaces that have long been defined by who’s in the room—and who’s not.
Through the initiative Together We RISE, four organisations join forces—each with distinct roots and paths, now aligned around a shared purpose: making trades accessible, equitable, and belonging for women.
With their combined histories, we chart a pathway:
The Partnership
National Apprentice Employment Network (NAEN)
Born out of the practical challenges of small business and skill shortages in the early 1980s, the group training model took hold in Australia to ensure apprenticeships could thrive across regional, remote, and metropolitan contexts.
Today, NAEN is the peak body representing more than 100 Group Training Organisations (GTOs) and an employer network that places around 25,000 apprentices and trainees nationally.
NAEN’s story is one of scale and stability:
When traditional apprenticeships risked fragmentation and attrition, GTOs offered employment security, rotation of placements, and a platform for under-represented cohorts.
In RISE, NAEN anchors the system-wide reach—moving the conversation from “how do we recruit more women” to “how do we embed women’s success across every site, every employer, every region.”
National Apprentice Employment Network (NAEN)
Born out of the practical challenges of small business and skill shortages in the early 1980s, the group training model took hold in Australia to ensure apprenticeships could thrive across regional, remote, and metropolitan contexts.
Today, NAEN is the peak body representing more than 100 Group Training Organisations (GTOs) and an employer network that places around 25,000 apprentices and trainees nationally.
NAEN’s story is one of scale and stability:
When traditional apprenticeships risked fragmentation and attrition, GTOs offered employment security, rotation of placements, and a platform for under-represented cohorts.
In RISE, NAEN anchors the system-wide reach—moving the conversation from “how do we recruit more women” to “how do we embed women’s success across every site, every employer, every region.”
Women in Adult and Vocational Education (WAVE)
In 1985, a small network of women in adult and community education asked a big question: “Is this system built for us, or are we trying to fit into it?”
What began as the Network of Women in Further Education (NOW in FE) evolved into WAVE in 2001—the first and only national, autonomous NGO devoted wholly to women in adult, community, and vocational education.
WAVE has always been the gender lens in the machinery of training: rigorous, strategic, and grounded in lived experience.
Its advocacy and research reveal that “education and training still reproduce gender inequality.”
In RISE, WAVE ensures our work isn’t just about access—it’s about transformation. It’s about turning structures inside-out so the design of training, workplaces, and culture reflect the full diversity of talent.
Women in Adult and Vocational Education (WAVE)
Born out of the practical challenges of small business and skill shortages in the early 1980s, the group training model took hold in Australia to ensure apprenticeships could thrive across regional, remote, and metropolitan contexts.
Today, NAEN is the peak body representing more than 100 Group Training Organisations (GTOs) and an employer network that places around 25,000 apprentices and trainees nationally.
NAEN’s story is one of scale and stability:
When traditional apprenticeships risked fragmentation and attrition, GTOs offered employment security, rotation of placements, and a platform for under-represented cohorts.
In RISE, NAEN anchors the system-wide reach—moving the conversation from “how do we recruit more women” to “how do we embed women’s success across every site, every employer, every region.”
Bendigo Kangan Institute (BKI)
In 2014, two purpose-driven institutions—Bendigo TAFE and Kangan Institute—merged to form the modern Bendigo Kangan Institute (BKI).
The merger brought together regional strength and metropolitan agility, building capability across Victoria and beyond.
BKI stands at the intersection of education and industry—designing programs that don’t just fill training places but build leadership capacity and embed inclusive practice on the ground.
Within RISE, BKI carries the capability baton—developing field officer training, inclusive leadership modules, and scalable learning frameworks that shift mindsets as well as skillsets.
Kangan Institute (KI)
In 2014, two purpose-driven institutions—Bendigo TAFE and Kangan Institute—merged to form the modern Bendigo Kangan Institute (BKI).
The merger brought together regional strength and metropolitan agility, building capability across Victoria and beyond.
BKI stands at the intersection of education and industry—designing programs that don’t just fill training places but build leadership capacity and embed inclusive practice on the ground.
Within RISE, BKI carries the capability baton—developing field officer training, inclusive leadership modules, and scalable learning frameworks that shift mindsets as well as skillsets.
Australian Workers’ Union (AWU)
The handshake between the labour movement and Australia’s making is visible in the story of the AWU.
Founded in 1886 from the union-organising efforts of shearers in Creswick and the pastoral workforce, the AWU became one of Australia’s largest and most influential unions.
It negotiated the first federal Pastoral Industry Award, setting a benchmark for working conditions in industries that built the nation.
In RISE, the AWU brings the culture-and-practice dimension—ensuring change doesn’t just happen in theory, but lands where the tools, helmets, and boots meet the floor.
Australian Workers’ Union (AWU)
The handshake between the labour movement and Australia’s making is visible in the story of the AWU.
Founded in 1886 from the union-organising efforts of shearers in Creswick and the pastoral workforce, the AWU became one of Australia’s largest and most influential unions.
It negotiated the first federal Pastoral Industry Award, setting a benchmark for working conditions in industries that built the nation.
In RISE, the AWU brings the culture-and-practice dimension—ensuring change doesn’t just happen in theory, but lands where the tools, helmets, and boots meet the floor.
How These Stories Weave Together
This collaboration isn’t accidental; it’s strategic.
NAEN gives reach.
WAVE brings the gender-equity imperative.
KI builds capability.
AWU embeds culture.
When layered, they form a robust tapestry of change.
The training isn’t just delivered,
the culture isn’t just talked about,
the reach isn’t just national
—it’s integrated.
This is the strategic fabric of RISE: from policy to placement,
from training room to on-site practice,
from system design to lived experience.
Our Shared Philosophy
We believe that talent is universal, but opportunity is not.
We believe that a training contract is worthless if the culture undermines belonging.
We believe that industry thrives when people feel they belong—not just fit in.
And we believe that change isn’t a project with an end date—it’s a system reframed for a new generation.
What This Means for You
Whether you are a host employer reflecting on culture, a GTO leader seeking to scale inclusion, a field officer supporting an apprentice, or a woman considering a trade:
RISE is built for you.
With this partnership, you’re not entering another box-ticking initiative—you’re entering a movement.
One rooted in national structure, gender equity, educational excellence and cultural practice.
One that invites you to belong, contribute and transform.
For GTOs & Host Employers
