By Ryahn Rahme
It’s award season and the votes are in: Dr Ben Crisp is the 2026 VET Teacher/Trainer of the Year in the NSW Central & Northern Sydney region.
Dr Crisp reflected on his career journey, inspirations and success stories in the wake of his win.
“The best teachers are the ones that can really model life-long learning and fallibility,” Crisp said. “The not having all the answers.”
Crisp — a screenwriter, film director, Doctor of Philosophy in Creative Writing, and board member of multiple not-for-profit organisations supporting independent storytelling — brings a rare depth of knowledge into TAFE NSW classrooms.
Every year the NSW Government’s Department of Education recognises individuals and organisations for their outstanding achievements in vocational education and training (VET). The awards not only celebrate the hard work of students, teachers and institutions, they also aim to inspire the wider community with the unique and accessible benefits of a VET career.
Inspiration, Crisp has it in spades.
When asked about bringing industry experience into the classroom, Crisp burst the bubble on students’ beliefs on reaching their future career.
“[It] took me a long time to realise there is no here and there, you know,” he said. “Whether you’re making films or working in a classroom environment… you’re still facing challenges and limitations. You’re still trying to find creative solutions to complex problems.”
Crisp’s reoccurring message to students and teachers alike is: perspective. A realism and pragmatism to the internal and external players that orchestrate the symphony of our lives.
“It’s really important that we try to build and reinforce the kind of strength and skills that are going to help someone survive all the twists and turns [of the creative industry]. But they’re kind of the twists and turns of life, right?”
Which is done, he said, by drawing attention to things we do have control over.
“If your goals set the direction of where you’re trying to get to, the values are things like maybe: your sense of creativity, your sense of autonomy, your sense of family and friendship, or kindness, or generosity, ambition.
“It’s different for every person and there’s a process of discovering and identifying your values. But one of the key differences between values and goals is that values are entirely within your control. You can choose to live in your values right now.”
If you’d like further information on the state level winners and upcoming national awards ceremony, visit the NSW Department of Education Awards webpage and Australian Training Awards website.
Featured image: Dr Ben Crisp lecturing story structure. Photo: Supplied