Farouk builds strong foundations for his future
01 May 2003
Farouk El Alami.
Farouk El Alami from Pascoe Vale always wanted to work with his hands, but it was at age 13 that he settled on building as his future career.
“There was a new dental surgery being built near my house. I’d walk by the worksite every day and became fascinated with how quickly the building was going up”, he recalls.
“One day I asked the builders how they did certain things, and they started letting me help out. I loved it and that’s when I decided I wanted to be a builder.”
Today that decision has more than paid off. Farouk, now 20, has won not one, but two of Kangan Batman TAFE’s highest student awards. He has been named Apprentice of the Year and has won the Gold Medallion Award for Best Industrial Technologies Student.
After completing his VCE, Farouk enrolled in a pre-apprenticeship course, the Certificate II in General Construction. He was then successful in securing an apprenticeship with Chinook Storms, which is a sub-contractor for various companies such as Devine Homes, Metricon and Domaine.
Farouk has now completed the TAFE component of his apprenticeship and will finish his apprenticeship in around eight months’ time.
Already he has been given a great deal of responsibility in his job. At times his employer has left him in charge of six employees, and he is the onsite First Aid Officer. Farouk also teaches the skills he has learnt to other workers, such as in reading and interpreting plans, and problem solving.
“I really love my job”, Farouk says. “The best part is when we finish a house and hand it over to the family and see how happy they are with it.”
Farouk plans to continue gaining experience and improving his skills, while at the same time working towards his Certificate IV in Building, which will enable him to get his own building licence. His ultimate goal is to one day be self-employed.
However, he is not waiting until then to build his own home. Despite his youth, he is already looking for the ideal block of land on which to build his own house as an owner-builder.
Farouk would advise other young people to take up apprenticeships: “Some people have the wrong impression of apprenticeships, they think it’s all dirty work. But that’s not the case with most trades, because of the modern equipment and techniques used today.”
“The building trade offers great opportunities, both financially and in terms of career. My advice to anyone doing an apprenticeship is to work hard because it will pay off later.”
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 second ceremony, at which Farouk will receive his award, will be held on Friday 23 May. Parchment Press is the major sponsor of the ceremony, while Jobs Plus is the supporting sponsor.
Farouk El Alami has won the following awards:
- Apprentice of the Year Award
- Gold Medallion Award – Industrial Technologies Group
- Silver Medallion Award – Building, Furniture & Electrical
- Outstanding Achievement – Certificate III in General Construction
