Ms Berwyn Clayton has been awarded the first Chancellor's Medal for her outstanding contribution to the University.
The Medal was awarded to her in recognition of her work in building a culture of VET practitioner scholarship and research and helping the University to establish an international reputation as a centre of vocational education and training (VET) research excellence.
Ms Clayton is Director of the Work-based Education Research Centre (WERC) at the University. Prior to her appointment to this position, Ms Clayton spent ten years as Director of the unique, Centre Undertaking Research in Vocational Education (CURVE) at Canberra Institute of Technology. Her deep commitment and unstinting support for vocational education and training (VET) research was recognised when she was awarded the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) VET Researcher of the Year Award for 2011.
Ms Clayton has had over twenty-five years experience in the vocational education and training sector. During that time she has worked as a teacher, curriculum development manager, professional developer, evaluator and researcher in the TAFE sector.
A founding member of the Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association, Ms Clayton was the Association's president from 2000 to 2004. The Berwyn Clayton Award was established in her name in 2006. This award is given biennially for Distinguished Service to the Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association (AVETRA).
In 2001 Ms Clayton was made a Fellow of the Australian College of Educators for her services to education and vocational education research.
Ms Clayton is a highly regarded scrutineer and spokesperson of the VET sector. She is the author or co-author of over 30 publications and 25 conference papers and journal articles, making her a leading publisher of research at Victoria University.
Ms Clayton led the establishment of the Master of Education (VET) which produced its first graduates at the end of 2011. She has also considerably increased the University's ability to attract other leading VET researchers to become VU staff or associates and so enhance the university's VET research capacity and reputation.
