Employer: South West TAFE

Raised in Hawkesdale South-west Victoria, Rebecca Toleman grew-up with farming in her veins. In 2018, Rebecca’s passion to mentor and teach future farmers led her to bring her vast farming experience to SWTAFE. The course began with 30 enrolments and two fulltime teachers.

By 2021 this expanded to 370 students, a staggering 1,140% growth, with eight teachers, across 10 programs. Rebecca led SWTAFE to revolutionise calving training by introducing a life-size cow simulator that enabled students to develop their skills without endangering or causing unnecessary discomfort to live animals. The ground-breaking initiative became an industry talking point across the world.