Student Profile

TAFE NSW – Northern Sydney Institute student receives Rotary Award

TAFE NSW – Northern Sydney Institute Business Administration trainee Kristen Skinner has received a Pride of Workmanship Award from the Rotary Club of Hornsby.

Kristen, along with TAFE NSW representatives and the local community attended a presentation evening at the Asquith Golf Club, Mt Colah on Monday night (7 April 2008).

Nominated by her teachers at TAFE NSW – Northern Sydney Institute’s Hornsby College, Kristen received the award for her hard work and outstanding results.

Now a confident office administrator, Kristen said her traineeship had allowed her to decide on future career goals.

“TAFE was a good option for me, it helped me see what else was out there in the workforce, and it helped me find something I was interested in,” said Kristen. “Now I’ve finished my traineeship and I’ve learnt a lot.”

For the last year and a half, Kristen has been completing her traineeship at Measurement Resources in Gladesville while studying a Certificate III in Business Administration, attending Hornsby College one day a week.

Kristen said she had enjoyed the experience of studying whilst working, and thanked teachers for their support.

“I liked experiencing two different environments, a lot of people go straight into work, or straight into study; I found having both at the same time was beneficial,” said Kristen.

“The teachers at TAFE were also great, they put in a lot of extra effort with the trainee’s and they always made sure we were up to date and helped us when we needed it.”

Kristen is now hoping to complete a Statement of Attainment in Bookkeeping and intends to pursue a career in Administration.

Lisa Griffiths - Certificate IV in Public Relations Certificate

In a world where effective communication and a positive public image are critical to the success of an organisation, career opportunities exist for public relations specialists who possess the skills required to work in the field. To meet the demand, TAFE NSW - Northern Sydney Institute is offering two new public relations courses.

Certificate IV in Public Relations (course no. 4897)

Diploma of Public Relations (course no. 4898)

Developed in consultation with industry professionals, and following review of previous subjects, the courses are in line with public relations best practice, ensuring that graduates are 'industry ready'. Both courses are career-focussed and ideal for those employed in the PR sector looking to move their career to the next level, or those embarking on a new career in PR.

Following her Higher School Certificate, Lisa Griffiths, now a Marketing Coordinator at Deloitte, completed certificate courses in Marketing and Public Relations at TAFE NSW. Based on this positive experience, she now plans to enrol in the diploma course.

'I decided to try TAFE because I could study while working full-time. I found the Certificate IV in Public Relations Certificate really helpful in my job in Financial Advisory Services, particularly the media writing skills.'

KERRI Minkie - Diploma in Business Administration

KERRI Minkie had always enjoyed working. It was just that every time it came to taking the step up to where she really wanted to be, she found herself frustrated by a lack of formal qualifications.

Having graduated Year 12 from her Queensland high school more than two decades ago, Kerri realised that if she was going to keep progressing up her desired career ladder she was going to have to retrain.

And now with a Diploma in Business Administration from TAFE NSW - Northern Sydney Institute (NSI) under her belt both Kerri and employers, Brookvale-based office interiors specialists, Sheldon are reaping the benefits.

She explained: "I was working full-time at Sheldon when I started my Certificate III course but I wanted to obtain formal recognition of my skills. I was able to study for my Certificate III and latterly Certificate IV on a flexible format and online.

"Completing my Diploma has given me a new focus because as well as assisting with fine tuning my existing skills I have discovered new areas such as occupational health and safety (OH &S), web design and logo design.

"Throughout the whole time Sheldon have been incredibly supportive, allowing me time off for study leave when required, use of equipment and software to present professional assessments and have fully celebrated my achievements."

Kerri completed her Diploma in Business Administration on a part-time basis and recently claimed the Northern Beaches College 's MBS Green & Associates Award for Most Outstanding Student 2006.

However for the first time in 2007, Northern Beaches will also be offering this Diploma as a full-time course meaning a formal qualification may be even closer than you think.

As a Project Administration Manager, Kerri is responsible for overseeing Sheldon's office environment as well as aiding project managers with invoicing, client liaison, OH & S and tender proposals for example.

And Kerri, who lives in Balgowlah with her husband, now also has one of her Diploma classmates working as her assistant.

Sheldon managing director Peter Law said: "Good staff are very hard to find and retaining them is extremely important. Ongoing training and support is vital for not only staff development but also from a retention point of view. This is something we believe companies should not ignore or neglect.

"This company respects and values highly the benefits associated with staff attending formal education courses, apprenticeships and training seminars and we continue to motivate staff in undertaking formal education studies such as those offered by TAFE NSW."

For more details on this and other courses call 131 674.

Angelique Bellve - Diploma of Business (Marketing)

TWO years ago Angelique Bellve was like thousands of other TAFE NSW - Northern Sydney Institute (NSI) hopefuls putting the final touches to the applications they hoped would land them a place on their dream course.

And now the 19-year-old Avalon highflier is award-winning proof that TAFE NSW - NSI can open countless doors to a life you may never have known you always wanted.

Having completed the Diploma of Business (Marketing) at Northern Beaches College, Angelique was named Business and Commerce Student of the Year at the 2006 TAFE NSW - NSI Excellence Awards and is now studying for a degree in Marketing and Public Relations at the University of Notre Dame, Australia.

"I really feel my TAFE course has given me a head start at university. There were so many positives I took from the course on top of the academic elements that made it even better than I thought it was going to be," says Angelique.

"The teaching environment was amazingly supportive and many of my teachers still help me now. I also gained a lot of confidence in things like public speaking and I developed important time management skills, which made the transition from school to university workloads a lot easier."

Not sure if marketing was the career she wanted to pursue after high school, Angelique opted for TAFE to get a taste of what opportunities and avenues were there to be explored in the marketing world.

For further information on this and other courses call 131 674 or + 9942 0099.