Finding Work Life Balance as a Trainer in the Vocational Training and Education Sector

“Earn a living doing things that suit you. Find things that you are interested in, even passionate about and investigate possible ways to monetize them.” ― Jennifer Ritchie Payette

If you are a parent then you are in for a roller coaster ride. No single day can be similar and no amount of expert childcare advice can guarantee that it will work out for you.

Because, let’s face it, no one really told us how daunting and overwhelming a role parenting would be. Parenthood requires a copious amount of patience, dedication, care and sacrifices.

Nonetheless, thanks to the theory of “Change is the only constant” you may have now realised that your children are growing and you may have begun to get a bit more time for yourself than you used to.

Well, maybe it is time for you to consider going back to work.

Are you overwhelmed by the thought of restarting your career because it demands long working hours or frequent travelling? 

 Are you overcome by the guilt of leaving your children behind while at work?

Doubts about striking the right work-life balance can be your biggest struggle to step out of the home zone.

The good news is, an OECD research states that Australia performs well on work-life balance. If the numbers are anything to go by, the share of employees working 50 hours or more per week in Australia has fallen by 2.1 percentage points in the past decade, a steeper fall than the 0.9 recorded for the OECD on average and part-time work is an important feature among employed women, then you should feel hopeful about restarting your career.

Second innings to relaunch your career

Studies have shown that having a perfect balance between work, family and personal care affects the well-being of the family. Chances are you may feel stressed about how to get back in the work-force, especially if your last workplace has been demanding, Stepping into a new phase of life, where your priorities have changed, despite loving your field of work you may not be ready to dedicate as much time as you could before. Does that leave you at crossroads where you need to make a career choice that meets your family needs just as much as it motivates you to work?

Frontier Institute of Technology offers a  TAE 40116 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment course that allows you to bring about the work-life balance that you are looking for.

This certification opens a pathway for you to establish a career and empowers you to be a qualified trainer and assessor in your field of expertise in the Vocational Education Training industry. 

This way you are not only choosing what you love but also focusing on a career you are passionate about After all, the two most integral areas of most adults are family and workplace, you might as well juggle between these two with ease.

Industry 

The G20 Training Strategy report states “Broad and continued access to training and skills development opens up the opportunities for and benefits of both initial and lifelong learning to all, enabling women and men of all ages, in both urban and rural areas, to fullfill their aspirations.”

Australia requires a strong training sector, if you are a parent and you know your field of work like the back of your hand and are passionate about sharing and transferring those skills on to others then training and assessment is the course you should be seriously considering.

TAE 40116 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment is the minimum standard required to get a job as a vocational educator, training advisor or analyst in TAFE or other RTOs.

Depending on your qualifications, experience and demands of the job, an average salary between $600- $700 before tax can be expected for a part-time role.

As per the requirements of the job, the working conditions may differ. While some industries may want classroom-based training, some may provide training online.

You will have the option of working from home or work part-time tailoring to your needs and convenience.

The vocational competency of this course is defined as broad industry knowledge and experience, and may include, but is not limited to, holding a relevant unit of competency or qualification.

The volume of learning of a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment is typically six months to two years. Much is dependent on your pace of study and how you would work out your other work and life commitments. The total number of units are 10 out of which 9 are core units and 1 elective.  If you receive RPL for any one or more of the units then you may expedite your completion process.

The core units include: 

• Plan assessment activities and processes
• Assess competence
• Participate in assessment validation
• Design and develop assessment tools
• Plan, organise and deliver group-based learning
• Plan, organise and facilitate learning in the workplace
• Design and develop learning programs
• Use training packages and accredited courses to meet client needs
• Address adult language, literacy and numeracy skills

The elective units are: 

• Contribute to assessment
• Provide work skill instruction
• Coordinate and facilitate distance-based learning
• Mentor in the workplace
• Facilitate e-learning
• Access resources and support to address foundation skills
• Integrate foundation skills into vocational training delivery
• Maintain training and assessment information
• Participate in a quality audit
• Make a presentation
• Develop teams and individuals
• Promote products and services
• Build client relationships and business networks
• Analyse and present research information

There couldn’t be a better time to transitioning back to work. Your hiatus may have taken you a bit away from being in the thick of things in your field. Tweaking your career goals slightly may make you feel iffy about your own achievements in the past or your current skills. It is quite okay to feel a bit self-doubt because that will help you to push yourself forward and beat the imposter syndrome.

What you will gain from this training:

• Get back into the workforce with a renewed sense of self-esteem and self-confidence.
• Financial independence
• Increase your social and professional network
• Opportunities to gain new skills and experience
• Opportunity to contribute to a wider community.

Vocational education and training (VET)

According to the Vocational Education and Training- Report on Government Services 2019, ‘Skill utilisation’ is an indicator of governments’ objective that the VET system deliver a productive and highly skilled workforce through enabling all working-age Australians to develop and use the skills required to effectively participate in the labour market and contribute to Australia’s economic future

“Nationally in 2017,

• 77.5 per cent employers engaged with apprenticeships or traineeships were satisfied with the training in providing apprentices or trainees with the required skills

• 82.2 per cent who arranged or provided nationally recognised training to employees were satisfied with the training in providing employees with the required skills

• 75.4 per cent who had employees with a formal vocational qualification that was a requirement of their job were satisfied with the qualifications in providing employees with the required skills.

Nationally in 2018,

• 59.6 per cent of 20–64-year-old total VET graduates from 2017 improved their employment status after training — an increase from 57.5 per cent in 2017.

If you want to take that big leap to restart your career, or looking for a career change, then the timing couldn’t have been more appropriate. Take the plunge.

Frontier Training Institute has regular intakes with classes starting weekly. You can choose to do the course face to face with a small of group of students in a modern classroom setting or online as blended delivery.

Bring your skills and passion together, complete the qualification and follow the path of a Trainer and Assessor and reclaim your career on your own terms.