Jonathan McIntosh proves that you can achieve a successful career leaving school as early as Year 10
01 March 2003
In Year 10 Jonathan McIntosh from Sunbury did not think that school was for him. He decided that he wanted to grow-up fast and find a real job and experience the real world.
With the support of his parents and advice from his secondary school teachers and Kangan Batman TAFE’s Pathways Program worker, he was able to leave school ready to take up an apprenticeship with alternate plans in place, in case he couldn’t find the apprenticeship he wanted straight away.
Now 18-year-old Jonathan is an apprentice at Pomroy Panels in Niddrie and is undertaking the study component of his apprenticeship through Kangan Batman TAFE’s Vehicle Painting Department. He was also recently named the winner of an Akzo Nobel STARS scholarship.
In November 2002, Akzo Nobel Car Refinishes Australia in partnership with the Australian Paint Manufacturers Federation (APMF) gave out five scholarships to first-year vehicle painting apprentices. The STARS or Specialist Training Automotive Refinishing scholarship acknowledges the hard work and dedication that apprentices contribute to their field as well as providing financial assistance that includes prizes worth thousands of dollars.
To be eligible for nomination the applicants had to meet strict selection criteria which included their attendance, their progress record, special achievements or overcoming any kind of disadvantage which might be physical, social, cultural etc.
These achievements speak for themselves about the excellent quality of work achieved by Jonathan at such an early age. Jonathan remembers the excellent support and encouragement offered by his secondary school teachers and through Kangan Batman TAFE’s Pathways Program.
“After doing some work experience in Year 10, I knew that I wanted to work in the vehicle painting industry. My career’s teacher and my Pathways worker from Kangan Batman TAFE provided me with a better understanding of how to go about finding the job that I wanted. The Pathway Program taught me how to write my resume, it taught me how to approach an employer, what other possibilities there were for me if I did not get the job of my choice.”
“I always knew that if I didn’t find my dream job I always had the option of going back to school. The program gave me the confidence to do what was right for me,” says Jonathan.
The scholarship has also come in handy, boosting his self-confidence and paying for his schooling and his vehicle painting equipment.
“My nearest goal right now is to finish my apprenticeship and to do the best I can and then go into the vehicle painting trade. My parents are very proud of what I have achieved. They have always been supportive of my decision and my achievements so far have helped me prove that anything is possible if you have a goal and prepare yourself for what you want to do in your life,” he says.
The Pathways Program offered by Kangan Batman TAFE seeks to provide a range of options, opportunities and initiatives for young people who are seeking to leave school before completing Year 12. This program is offered by the Post Compulsory Education Pathways Department which also provides the coordination and delivery of VET in Schools programs and work placements to support students who are doing VET in Schools courses. The VET (vocational education and training) in the VCE program enables secondary school students to combine general VCE units with VET modules either delivered at the participating school or at a Registered Training Organisation, such as a TAFE institute.
