When Reece Wardle was finishing high school in 2015, he wasn’t convinced that university was where he wanted to go.
“I was kind of looking at university, but I wasn’t really sold on that,” he said.
“Then I made contact with one of the field officers at The Apprenticeship Factory, and they looked at my skills and interests and said, ‘I think I’ve got a match for you’.”
That match ended up being with Verney Rd School as IT trainee in 2015, while he completed his Certificate III in Information Digital Media and Technology at GOTAFE.
“It was great because I could just do (my course) around work,” Reece said.
“A lot of the TAFE course work I did tied in to what I was doing on the ground here, I found it quite relevant to what I was doing at the time, and it gave me a lot of new skills.”
When he finished his course, he then went on to study a Certificate IV in Information Technology Networking in 2016, while continuing his traineeship with the school.
The Apprenticeship Factory and his field officer made such a perfect match that Reece didn’t want to leave when his traineeship was up, helping him with his further studies as he pursues his Bachelor of IT while working at Verney Rd School as the IT technician.
“I’ve been pretty fortunate now that my employer has kept me on following my traineeships, and they’ve been really flexible,” he said.
“The Apprenticeship Factory helped set me up with my certificates, and I felt like this was the next step.
“At the end of Year 12, I was thinking maybe uni, but I wasn’t sure ... doing my traineeship through The Apprenticeship Factory has then given me a pathway to continue uni, but do it while I’m still working.”
In his role at the school, he has even had trainees come on board under his wing through The Apprenticeship Factory, giving him an insight into the other side.
“They were brilliant to work with again, and having been through that process, I knew exactly what it’s like,” Reece said.
“As a trainee and then sort of representing the host employer, all through that whole process, The Apprenticeship Factory has been great to work with.”
In his many years interacting with The Apprenticeship Factory, Reece is extremely grateful for everything it has done, especially his field officer who helped set him up with this job back in 2015.
“They were only one phone call away,” he said.
“They were really approachable, even if it was just to have a chat, just about not anything at all, he was always available as a friendly person that would help to resolve any issues if they did pop up.
“I highly recommend The Apprenticeship Factory, particularly for those who are heading towards the end of high school and are maybe not sure if uni is for them, and maybe looking at a gap year, just to reach out and see what’s available.
“The effect that The Apprenticeship Factory has had here not just with me, but with some of our other staff that have come from them, just love what they do, and continue to stay here at the school.”
By Georgia Tacey
16°C