MORE THAN YOU IMAGINE
Pathways newsletter April, 2013
IT students get results The information technology TVET Year 12 class of 2012 proved studying at TAFE brings results. Julia Wong, who studied at Sutherland College Loftus Campus not only came equal third in the state but also won a full scholarship worth $48,000 to study a Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) at UTS. The BIT scholarship program offers only 46 places and is a fast-track course offered to high academic achievers. It fast-tracks students into industry in only three years and has a track record of 100% employment for its graduates. When Julia heard she had been awarded the full scholarship she was pretty shocked. “I think my participation in new opportunities offered by TVET really helped me stand out,” Julia said. “In my second semester I’ll be doing an internship with one of the sponsors of the scholarship.”
During her HSC Julia played a lot of tennis which helped her “relax and forget about how stressful the year is supposed to be”.
“Google was amazing,” Julia said.
She plans to continue with her tennis and has also joined the UTS BUiLD program which is an exciting and dynamic international leadership program and will offer her the opportunity to meet people outside of her faculty.
“It provided me with an opportunity to network with like-minded people and offered me a lot of advice for university.”
Fellow Loftus student, Ben Perram came tenth in the state and has now started a Bachelor of Computer Science at the University of Wollongong. Other TVET IT students Madisson Spanhel and Daniel Lloyd are studying a Bachelor of IT at the University of Wollongong and University of Canberra. Both Madisson and Julia attended Google Sydney last year as part of a retreat for female computer science students to connect, build relationships and receive professional development and training.
“It’s a really diverse workplace and everyone enjoys what they do.
Julia definitely recommends TVET to other school students. She said the TAFE teachers really encouraged the students. “They encouraged us to ask questions, learn as much as possible and take up as many opportunities as possible. “The teachers really helped us understand the course content and because we had four hour classes, we had lots of time to practice what we had just learnt which is really important in VET courses,” Julia said.
Turning a tragedy into a positive
The night Peter Gibbs’ sister died in police custody in Brewarrina in 1997 he was asked whether the community should take on the police and start a riot. Speaking to the ABC 7.30 program in 2011, Mr Gibbs said his dad and he stood shoulder-to-shoulder and informed the people that’s not what they wanted from Fiona’s death. “And we made a commitment then that we would get a positive out of her tragedy,” Mr Gibbs said. Mr Gibbs questioned why there weren’t more Aboriginal people in the police force. From the camp fire and kitchen table a strategy was formed and IPROWD was born. The Indigenous Police Recruitment Our Way Delivery (IPROWD) program was first delivered in Western NSW. It’s funded by the
Australian Government and run by TAFE NSW and the NSW Police Force. It sees Aboriginal students graduating with a Certificate III in Vocational and Study Pathways to meet the entry requirements of the Associate Degree in Policing Practice offered by the Charles Sturt University at the NSW Police College at Goulburn. When Redfern Local Area Commander, Superintendent, Luke Freudenstein saw the program in action he knew it was needed in Redfern. Ten Aboriginal men and women graduated from IPROWD at TAFE NSW – Sydney Institute, in Eora College last December, the third IPROWD graduation in the last 18 months. The latest graduates received training at Redfern Police Station as well as at Eora, and Supt Freudenstein said the students “walked into the station as if they owned the place!”
He said this was part of the philosophy of the station where he wanted police to see the Aboriginal community as guests. The importance of policing in Redfern was “getting out on the street and speaking to people, getting their advice, getting their guidance on how to police matters at Redfern.” “The relationship between police and the Aboriginal community is fantastic,” Supt Freudentstein said. “It could be replicated throughout the state. “It’s ... getting to know your community and getting your advice from their leaders.” One of the students graduating at Eora College was Ashley Gordon who is hopeful to gain entry to the NSW Police Academy in Goulburn. Luke Freudenstein
Student profiles Ryan Ackermann
Certificate III in Commercial Cookery
Originally from Port Macquarie, Ryan is now studying at Ultimo College.
“My chef asked me if I wanted to come on as an apprentice, and I said yes.” Where does Ryan see himself in five years’ time? “Running my own business around Port Macquarie. As a chef I’m pretty much into everything.”
Stuart Thomas
Certificate III in Commercial Cookery
Stuart moved from Tasmania to Sydney and admitted his new city was “a little different” to Launceston. “It’s big and it’s open and there’s a lot to do.” Currently doing his apprenticeship and working at Garfish in Crows Nest, Stuart said after doing some travelling he’d like to do a degree in environmental science.
“I want to have an open mind about most things.”
Gemma Burgess
HSC Pathways
Gemma has come to Sydney TAFE to finish her HSC. “Last year I did a TVET course at TAFE in hospitality.
“I really like the environment at TAFE and I much prefer it to school.” When asked why she liked TAFE so much, Gemma explained “because it’s up to you”. “It’s a lot more suited to me.”
Nicole Massaria
Diploma of Public Relations
Nicole heard about TAFE when she was at high school, and after taking a year off after her HSC has returned to studying.
“I chose TAFE to ease my way into uni. “I’m hoping to go to UTS when I have finished my diploma.”
Belinda Lombardo
TVET Photography
Belinda has a deep passion for photography and would like to pursue a full-time career in the area. After she finishes school she intends to enrol at TAFE. “I think it would further develop my skills as a photographer and give me the necessary qualifications to get into the industry.” When asked if she was enjoying her course, Belinda said “of course I am!”
“I am enjoying every aspect of this course so far but am looking forward to the accreditation and skills this course can provide me.”
Brett Howard
TVET Photography
Brett heard from previous students that the TVET photography course was very good and rewarding.
“It can improve my chances of future employment and can help me develop as a photographer. “Another reason I chose this course is because it is based around film photography. “I am really intrigued by the wet darkroom process.” David’s father handed him down his old film camera. “I love working in the darkroom and mucking around with film.”
Representing Australia in the ultimate bake off Representing Australia in the Junior World Pastry Cup this year, TAFE students Angela McCauley and Grant Corfield, along with their manager, Ultimo College teacher Scott Astley, had an unforgettable time in Italy. Ten nations took part: Australia, Brazil, France, Taiwan, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland and Italy. The competition, run over two days, had a theme of ‘the circus of the future’. Competitors had to make a sugar sculpture, a chocolate sculpture, a chocolate cake, a flavoured gelato bar with chocolate glazing, three pralines and a cream dessert based on custard and fruit. Teams were judged by all of the teams’ managers as well as five international judges. “I really have to hand it to our competitors,” Scott said. “As well as working in their normal jobs, they had to fit in training where possible. “A lot of the other teams had more than a month off before the competition, when they could practice, and had their wages reimbursed. “Whilst TAFE helped out with freight, equipment and giving the students a daily allowance, this is definitely something we’ll be considering for further competitions – maybe seek out sponsorship,” Mr Astley said. Student and competitor Grant agreed that working and training at the same time was quite difficult but praised his employer Cavallaro’s and the training and help he received from his TAFE teachers. “There is a huge amount of dedication from everyone involved – I know I need to thank my family enormously for their patience and support,” Grant said. “I was extremely proud to represent my country. “I made a great number of friends throughout the competition and was allowed to meet some of the best and most respected pastry chefs from around the world. “The experience was a real eye opener for me, to see how developed other teams were and their level of skill for juniors. “I would love to be involved in the future of the competition to help our youth move forward and achieve a good world standard,” Grant said.
Angela was also thrilled to compete for her country, “a little nervous but absolutely keen at the prospect of competing on the world stage”. “Once there and when we started to compete the nerves disappeared and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. “It was also a great thrill to meet so many talented junior competitors as well as all the international judges ... who were all very welcoming and always had a kind word to say,” Angela said. While we didn’t win, Scott said “we did ourselves proud” despite lost bags, delayed freight and sickness! “It was a wonderful and rewarding experience for all involved. “I had great support from my colleagues at Ultimo,” Scott said. Both Grant and Angela are studying at Ultimo this year, and Scott says they have a bright future ahead of them as pastry chefs.
London bound St George College graduate Tameka Allard is off to England having won the prestigious SPARK AWARD. The competition, open to graphic design students across NSW attracted nearly 100 entries. As the winner, Tameka has a three month internship with Blue Marlin Brand Design in their London studio, all expenses paid and $4,000 spending money. Tameka, who completed her Diploma of Graphic Design last year, hopes to be jetting off in July. “I am so thrilled to be awarded this incredible opportunity,” Tameka said. “It’s a real dream come true for me and I have not stopped smiling. “Being such a competitive industry, I feel very grateful to be given a helping hand in starting my career,” Tameka said. Tameka thanked her St George design teachers saying she owed a large part of this achievement to them. “They constantly offered support and encouragement throughout my studies, and always ensured students took part in all potential opportunities – like the SPARK AWARD. “As for my future, I plan to continue to learn and further my design skills by gaining as much industry experience as possible and also work on building my own freelance typography business,” Tameka said. After London of course!
Grant Corfield
TVET helps George succeed Can you imagine topping the state in a subject for your HSC? George Bishop can. The Fort Street High School student came first in accounting in 2012. George credits Petersham TAFE and studying TVET accounting to be a factor in his success. When asked if he’d recommend his TVET experience with Petersham, George’s answer was a resounding yes. “I would definitely recommend it to other students as a unique and fantastic opportunity,” George said. He said there were a number of things that made TVET accounting such a great choice. “I was able to have two units count towards my HSC as well as gain industry certified units which can ultimately translate into a formal qualification,” George said. “The learning was self-paced, meaning that I was able to juggle a busy schedule of 15 HSC units and continue with my other interests such as music. “TAFE is quite different to school in a number of aspects. “The training is much more industry and application based as opposed to other largely theoretical HSC subjects. “This proved to be a nice and relevant change and was very engaging for all members of our class. “The emphasis on developing relevant employability skills, such as technological, communication and teamwork skills, was much higher which I feel has definitely made me much more adept at dealing with challenging situations both at school, university in the future, and in my part-time job at Domino’s Pizza,” George said. George said his teachers had been fantastic. “They were extremely engaging, helpful and passionate about their field of teaching which rubbed off on the attitude and results of the class.” Last year 17 students from Fort Street High School undertook TVET accounting, with George’s fellow student, Jack Willis-Craig coming fifth in the state in the HSC. George’s Petersham TAFE teacher Eileen Hukins said the Fort Street students were a fabulous group. The class was held at Fort Street every Tuesday. “It was very much a pleasure for me to teach this group of students,” Ms Hukins said. “Whilst they were intelligent they were also a lot of fun. “George was a valuable member of the class and a natural leader.” 2012 not only saw George coming top of the state in accounting, but he was also presented with the Petersham College Achievement Award. “I nominated George for this award because I was impressed by his diligence and his talent,” Ms Hukins said. “He assisted other students, was courteous, was an excellent time manager and was a strong ambassador for his school and the TVET course.”
Published April 2013
This year, George is studying a combined bachelor degree of economics and law. He was awarded a Merit Scholarship for the duration of the degree and honours year, which as George says “will certainly make university a much more manageable experience”. And before university started, George even found time to study a Certificate IV in Bookkeeping at Petersham TAFE! Congratulations George Bishop – a young man with a fantastic future.
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