Past
We first met Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung and Gunditjmara man Lewis Brown in 2018 as a finalist for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year Award at the Australian Training Awards.
At the time, Lewis had recently completed a Certificate IV in Community Services, and told us he’d decided on a qualification and career in community services to support his passion of creating space for the First Nations community to succeed.
We wanted to see how Lewis put his vocational education and training (VET) qualification to use over the last 6 years, and were blown away by how much he has accomplished!
Present
Since 2018, Lewis’ career has evolved significantly.
Eager to continue learning and growing, Lewis has since completed a Diploma of Leadership and Management and a Diploma of Community Service. Lewis credits the peer-to-peer support, practical hands-on learning experiences, and the genuine investment from his trainer as his motivation to return to VET.
Even more impressive is how Lewis’ original motivations in 2018 to support First Nations communities to succeed, has manifested in his work.
“Enabling my community to succeed is a core value of mine, always has been and always will be. I have done this throughout my career in many different forms, supporting First Nations men transition from incarceration back into the community, supporting young First Nations people obtain scholarships to study further and supporting First Nations families experiencing homelessness obtain housing. All these are tied back to that same core value, supporting First Nations peoples to thrive,” Lewis said.
Lewis is currently focused on Healing Country. “I am a firm believer that First Nations peoples are so closely connected to land that a unique interdependent relationship exists: if country is unhealthy, we are unhealthy.
So now in my work, I am pushing for policies that are environmentally friendly and not at the expense of the country, so First Nations peoples and the broader community can live happy and healthy.”
Australian VET Alumni
Lewis’ involvement as an Australian VET Alumni has provided him with opportunities to network and inspire others with his passions. In addition to being a mentor and sharing his story with Australian Training Awards finalists in 2021 and 2023, Lewis has also spoken at conferences to promote the VET industry.
Lewis is motivated to participate in Australian VET Alumni opportunities by the connections he makes that positively influence his work, and the feedback he receives from other participants, who are impacted by his words.
Future
What’s in store for Lewis in the future? Lewis is pretty sure it’s going to involve another return to VET, to help him upskill in the environmental policy space.
For people considering a VET pathway in their future, Lewis thinks you should just go for it. “It’s a great way to upskill but also a great way to make new connections and engage in a learning setting that is considerate of your needs. You don’t see that kind of support in other class settings.”
More information
Interested in exploring a career like Lewis'? Explore VET courses on the Your Career website: