Nearly approaching retirement age, Robyn was not ready to end her working career. Having achieved her training and assessment qualification in the late 1990s and working in the training and development sector ever since, she had never had the opportunity to work within the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector before. This was something that, in the back of her mind, she had wanted to do for many years.
As often happens, her last project with the company she worked for finished in May 2022 so Robyn decided that this was a good time to update her qualification with the aim to seek local teaching opportunities in the VET sector upon completion.
As she approached the end of her training (a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment), Robyn was still searching for employment and looking for her next challenge. Feeling proud of what she had already achieved and wanting to continue to learn and develop in this area, Robyn started making enquiries about undertaking a diploma level qualification in the industry to further support her career path.
It was while making enquiries about career paths in the VET sector that Robyn learnt about the Skills Checkpoint program, a national program that supports persons over 40 to re-enter or remain in the workplace. Apart from gaining career advisory support through the program, Robyn also learnt that there was a government co-contribution amount (up to $2,200) to support her to undertake her diploma. After some eligibility checks, Robyn quickly signed up for the program.
Robyn said, “My career advisor was really knowledgeable across so many industries and helped me identify a qualification that will expand my knowledge and experience and open up a whole world of possibilities.
“I have recently been offered part time teaching work within a local indigenous community which I absolutely love and now that I am working for an RTO (Registered Training Organisation) I will have the opportunity to apply my skills in a workplace so that I can successfully complete the diploma level qualification.”
The diploma level qualification will enable Robyn to train and assess students completing the Certificate 4 level qualification and may also lead to Robyn instructing other trainers who are interested in teaching within Indigenous communities.
“We have all seen how rapidly our world can change over the past two years and a lot more opportunities are now available for people who want to work from home using technology to provide training and assessment via distance learning. This opportunity could allow me to remain in the workforce in a part time capacity for longer which is really important to me, especially now that I have the opportunity to do something that I feel really passionate about.
“Not everyone who approaches retirement age is ready to retire! Work brings so many important things in addition to remuneration. If you are thinking about further study, this program may put something within your reach that you haven’t considered previously.”
Since undertaking the course, Robyn has worked at TAFE as a trainer for 9 months and is currently seeking further opportunities in the VET sector.
“I really appreciated the support from BUSY at Work in allowing me to access funding through the Skills Checkpoint for Older Workers and you were so helpful and knowledgeable it made the whole process very smooth.”
If you’re aged over 40 and looking to change careers, or you want to re-enter or remain in the workforce, find out more about the Australian Government funded Skills Checkpoint for Older Workers program.
