Martina's Interview

Interview

Where do you study?

I am currently in my second semester studying the Cert III of Automotive Electrical at TAFE QLD – Gold Coast

How many days do you go to class per week?

In the first term I did 3 days per week from 8am – 4pm with an hour break for lunch.

However in the second term and later you do 2 days per week and 1 day per week in vocational placement.

Tell me about your vocational placement?

So we need to do about 400 hours of vocational placement during the course. We go to an automotive electrical garage one day per week and the placement is 7 – 8 hours per day.

Did you have to organise this yourself?

You can organise it yourself, however if you don’t have one, then the school organizes a position with a company. TAFE has a lot of contacts in the industry

How are your teachers?

My teachers are really nice. They have great knowledge and industry experience and understand that you are new to the trade and are very patient. The teachers try to give us everything that we don’t know because we don’t have that experience.

Tell us about your classmates?

They are really nice and from all over the world. It is only a small class, so the teacher can focus on us. There is only one other girl in the class, but we love it. It isn’t a big problem at all. We fit in fine and get treated exactly the same as everyone else.

What are you most surprised about the course?

It is really interesting and never boring. The teacher is easy to follow and it is really fun.

What is the most difficult thing about the course?

We have to start at 8am!

Tell me about the facilities?

The facilities are really first class. Both Australian students and international students study there. I am really happy there.

Do you think it will be difficult to get a job in the industry?

From my experience it should be easy to get into the market. From what I have experienced there are a lot of demand and jobs. The company I do vocational placement for even offered me a full time job now, but I can’t take it because I need to finish my course.

What is your plan for the future?

I want to gain as much knowledge as I can and one day open my own business. I really want to be my own boss and you can do it as an auto electrician.