From VCE to a new career path at Kangan Batman TAFE
01 April 2003
Tina Scinto.
At 17, Tina Scinto from Craigieburn left secondary school to finish her VCE at Kangan Batman TAFE as she did not like the uniformity of school life.
“I didn’t leave school on account of not being a good student. It was actually the complete opposite, I was a ‘straight A’ student. I felt that I needed to learn in a different environment which secondary school could not provide so I decided to do it through a TAFE institute.”
“I found that studying for my VCE among older students, and where managing my workload fell on me, allowed me to learn more about the subjects that I was studying and also about the ‘real world’. This experience allowed me to learn from the older students about life and their life experiences,” says Tina.
After gaining her VCE she enrolled in the Certificate II in Business (Office Administration) at Kangan Batman TAFE. In her final semester Tina heard about traineeship opportunities being offered through the Youth Employment Scheme (YES), a Victorian Government initiative which provides job and traineeship opportunities within the Victorian Government for youth between the ages of 15 and 24.
She approached the Employment Centre at Kangan Batman TAFE where they went through her resume and matched her to suitable jobs. They assisted her in finding employment, and with her application and interview skills. She received many job offers, but the job she finally chose was a YES traineeship at Kangan Batman TAFE in the Employment Services Department. Her job involved providing administrative assistance to the manager of the department and the coordinator of the Apprenticeship and Traineeship Development Unit, whilst completing her Certificate III in Business (Office Administration).
“Each and every teacher that I have had at Kangan Batman TAFE has shown an unmatched enthusiasm for teaching their students, no matter what their age, race, sex, religion or circumstances. They were all very understanding of students’ individual needs. My experience with the teachers and with the Employment Centre staff has been great, and their encouragement has helped me a great deal in achieving my goals,” she says.
Tina has been named Kangan Batman TAFE’s Trainee of the Year for her outstanding achievement and for going beyond what was required from her traineeship.
After completing her traineeship, Tina has gone onto a job share position at Kangan Batman TAFE where she provides administrative assistance to the department managers from the Employment Services Department and the Post Compulsory Education Pathways Department.
Tina is currently training to become an Assistant Vocational Placement Officer where she will organise work placements for students completing vocational education and training (VET) courses, and students completing the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL).
Kangan Batman TAFE has 24,000 students across its six campuses in Broadmeadows, Moreland, Richmond, Coburg, Avondale Heights and Essendon.
Each year in May, Kangan Batman TAFE conducts two graduation ceremonies at the Moonee Valley Racecourse to accommodate all of its graduates and award winning students.
The first ceremony, at which Tina will receive her award, will be held on Friday 2 May. The Hume City Council is the major sponsor of the ceremony, while Broadmeadows Town Centre is the supporting sponsor.
Tina Scinto has won the following award:
- Trainee of the Year
