My VET Journey video

- [Megan] My name is Megan Cox, and I did a Certificate IV and Diploma in IT through a traineeship.

- [Joshua] My name's Joshua and I'm doing a Cert III in Automotive Sales.

- [Adam] My name is Adam Hansen and I did a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

- [Alisha] My name's Alisha and I'm doing Cert III Light Vehicle Mechanic.

- [Adam] What did you dream of doing as a kid? Wow. There was only one thing I wanted to do when I was a young fella, and that was to play fullback for the mighty Canberra Raiders.

- [Joshua] Something that amused me was like police force and highway patrol. I'm not sure about you, but -

- [Alisha] Same. Yeah, I wanted to join the police force but then, it wasn't for me. So I enjoyed working with cars so, went down that pathway.

- [Megan] I wanted to be a hairdresser, which is so much different to what I ended up doing now. But I just love the idea of helping other people and making a difference in their lives. And that really shaped my career pathway and trajectory into what I'm doing now.

- [Joshua] When did you realise that the traditional pathway at school wasn't for you?

- [Alisha] I realised when I didn't really know what I wanted to do. Then I heard about Apprenticeships R Us and I got into it.

- [Megan] Honestly, I didn't realise it wasn't for me until I found out about what a traineeship was. And I realised that I would much rather go along that pathway than the university pathway.

- [Adam] School for me was a journey. I dropped out twice. Dropped out in year 9 and dropped out again in year 11. I found myself in pretty hard space, hard situation. I was homeless for a period of time. And it was during that time where I thought to myself that the only way out for me was getting an education. And that meant going back to school. One of the main constants there for me during that time was my VET course.

- [Megan] What was the biggest challenge when deciding to do a VET course? For me, the biggest challenge was the perception of my peers and my teachers. I'd grown up with this kind of mentality drilled into me that in order to be successful, I had to go to university. And that's absolutely not the case. I mean, if I hadn't have taken that chance I wouldn't have gotten to where I am now.

- [Joshua] It was a bit daunting at first. Cause it was like, oh, is this the right thing to do? And after starting and looking into it it was perfect for me. So I think that's what helped me feel a bit better about it rather than stressing about, oh, should I do Uni or something of sorts.

- [title on screen] What would you say to any students who are considering a School Based Apprenticeship or Traineeship?

- [Alisha] Just go for it, if there's something that you're into and you want to enjoy doing it as a career, just go for it.

- [Joshua] The main thing is you wanna work and make sure that you enjoy it. 'Cause then it doesn't really feel like you're working.

- [Megan] I'd say give it a go. The ability to work and go to school and study all at the same time are gonna make you such a rounded person starting your career early and being able to earn money. I mean it's just brilliant, really.

- [Adam] Don't let anybody tell you that you can't, because you can. If it's truly what you want to do, go for it.

- [Megan] What are some of the coolest experiences you've had due to VET? So, because of my traineeship I was actually nominated for the New South Wales Training Awards by my teacher. I ended up winning, which was so awesome and that would not have happened if I hadn't have built up my confidence and my communication and social skills throughout my traineeship.

- [Joshua] 'Cause I thought it was just gonna be a boring sitting down job, but you get to communicate with everyone and it's just, it's a very engaging role.

- [Alisha] It was a bit different for me - me being like, a girl, joining a very manly trade. It was unexpected. The way everyone is so supportive and if I need help, then they're there for help.

- [Adam] One of the best things that VET has done for me is is that it helped me keep my life on track. It helped me get a career. Helped me get into higher education, which I'm so proud of and it helped me actually become a better person. Obviously being a proud Aboriginal man representing my people, my community my work journey has allowed me to share my story with other young people and tell them that they can they can do whatever they want to do, be whoever they be. If someone like me can finish school and go on and create a good life for themselves then anyone can do it.

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