Engineering careers only start at University? How TAFE are busting the myth!

Tuesday, 2 July 2019

When you think of engineers do you see images of intricate bridges, buildings and complex mechanical machinery? Perhaps in this vision you see a group of men and women wearing hard hats and high vis vests holding clipboards and pointing up into the sky, seemingly deliberating over the success of a particular infrastructure and its functionality?

It’s amazing to think, that the humans of this world who are engineers have the actual skill and knowledge to create such life-changing things. It’s also hard to imagine that it is the type of career so many have the ability to embark upon, without getting a 99 grade average in Year 12 an going on to University for the next 15 years.

But you really can.

Did you know that 65% of all Engineers currently working in Australia started out as trade school, TAFE students or apprentices?*

So that means only 35% of all Engineers actually went straight to University to begin the learning of their chosen career.

Those numbers are a serious indicator of the industry and the type of people who are working in it. They’re not academics per se, they are practically minded tradesmen and women with a hugely devoted work ethic who work and study hard from the ground up, to get to the top.

One such student of Wodonga TAFE, Shynae Matammu is a prime example of beginning her Engineering career at a TAFE level. Shynea held a position with Wodonga Council and did not want to have to quit her job to get the Bachelor degree she required. She discovered that by completing a Certificate she could still work her day job and use this course as a stepping stone into University, where she will enter with course credits, thus minimising her time spent to complete the bachelor degree.

“It was a total revelation to me, to learn that I could keep my job and study at the same time without it disrupting anything. Having this ability, really transformed my opportunities into building a career that I’ve always wanted.”

Another student, Marcus Huber, was a qualified boilermaker after doing an apprenticeship with Wodonga TAFE, he then returned to TAFE and completed a course in Engineering. From this TAFE level course, he gained credit into a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering at University.

“My study at Wodonga TAFE made the transition to university so much easier. I was given a really great base knowledge of engineering at a high level. If I had of gone straight from my trade into university I don’t think I would have coped as well as I am.”

Hear more from Marcus and Shynae below.

The Certificate II in Engineering Studies is a pre-apprenticeship course that can be studied on campus over 6 months. This gives students the base level knowledge of engineering to build their confidence and understanding to better prepare them for an engineering apprenticeship. Great for those who are not quite sure what it is all about or whether it is exactly the path they want to take on. They can do the Certificate II to get a feel for the career.

Enrolments are open for the next intake of the Certificate II in Engineering Studies and begins July 23! Contact our enrolments team on 1300 698 233 or visit our website www.wodongatafe.edu.au

*source www.joboutlook.gov.au