What's your job about?
I work in the Attraction and Community Engagement team at GOTAFE. My job entails providing exceptional student experience by liaising with both internal and external stakeholders, incorporating skills and jobs objectives and acting as the face of GOTAFE at key stakeholder events. In my role, I also work with industry and local governments too.
A morning start in my work life looks like below:
Equipped with my coffee in the morning, I’m ready to attack the day. First, I check my calendar and then emails to get a broad outlook on any items that need to be addressed and second, I write a list of actions for the day and week to get started.
I talk to people about their career aspirations and explain training and study options to help them find the right way to achieve their goals or refer them to the appropriate services such as a career adviser if they are unsure about career or study options.
What's your background?
I grew up in Pakistan, but originally from Afghanistan. I came to Australia with my family a few years ago and started VCE studies, but I switched to VCAL at Shepparton College when I realised what was best for me and where I wanted to go. People think that students who study VCAL are not as intelligent and that’s not the case, we need to change that perception.
I completed a Certificate III in a Business traineeship in year 12 and then I was offered a full-time position at GOTAFE. I have been with GOTAFE for more than 3 years including my traineeship and it has absolutely been a working and learning journey for me.
Talk and interact with as many people as possible, build networks, volunteer and don’t let any opportunity pass you by. That’s how I did, managing my school studies, volunteer work, VET course, traineeship and at the same time, I was school captain, and also attended the Arab Youth Nations International Model United Nations in Dubai.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
My role is mobile and agile, which means that you need to be motivated and work collaboratively whilst at the same time maintaining knowledge of the industry, other TAFEs, RTOs, local community and relevant government programs to ensure students, community members, and clients are informed. Simply yes, someone else could, if they are eager to learn new things. Usually, you will also need to have good communications skills to be successful in the role.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
I am super passionate about education which helps me create a truly exceptional and efficient way to make the students' experience smooth when they enrol with us. My agile is agile and yes, I learn something new every day, One of the things that really excite me about my job is that I work closely with industry, local government, communities and students to help them achieve their career goals.
We have just launched a Mobile Campus where we will be travelling across the GOTAFE remit which I think is super cool as we are taking education to the community.
What are the limitations of your job?
I am an adaptable and flexible person, but I believe the limits of the role depend on the person. My job is not physically demanding, but sometimes the responsibility becomes a bit big, which is normal in every job – but with the right attitude it can be managed, especially with the help of your team and manager.
3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student