Building a New Future in IT

James Brown’s journey to becoming an IT Trainee at Kilbreda College in Mentone is a story of resilience, growth and the power of support and education. ArtsReady Trainee, James serves as a Level 1 IT Support Officer, navigating a role that blends face-to-face assistance with technical troubleshooting. His path to this position, however, is far from typical.

Originally from the Gympie region in Country Queensland. James’s early career stemmed from labour-intensive jobs, like demolition works and factory labour.

Majority of the jobs there, were labor and retail.

His last job in demolition left him with untreated injuries that gradually worsened, leading to significant back problems.

Two years ago, was the worst I have ever been. I was bedridden one week on, one week off. It was a year of hell.

Moving away from physically demanding jobs to an office environment was a significant shift.

It was crazy going from doing labour jobs to an office job.

James was encouraged by his partner, who reviewed and improved resumes for a living. James found the confidence (and spiffy resume) to apply for an IT traineeship. Despite his apprehensions about his injury, he was determined to be honest and upfront about his condition during the interviewing process.

Since joining Kilbreda College, James has experienced a level of support that was previously unfamiliar.

I have felt so supported, from my employer allowing me to get up and walk every 30 minutes, to my Field Officer Yvonne checking in on me.

This support ensured his work equipment was ergonomically correct and encouraged him to attend doctor’s appointments.

I had never worked in a place before where everyone cared about my well-being and not just the work I was producing.

James’s role involves varied tasks, from resetting passwords and fixing corrupted files to more complex hardware repairs. He recalls a challenging task where he had to fix an older device with a seemingly simple touchpad issue that required disassembling the entire machine.

What looked like a damaged touchpad turned out to be a loose cord to the motherboard.

It was crazy to see what we thought was a simple fix turned out to be complex.

Studying Information Technology as part of his traineeship, James has embraced the learning curve, despite initial difficulties with learning code and adjusting to an educational environment.

It took me a while to learn the code so that I could do the education modules and my work.

His commitment to learning and growth has paid off and he now feels confident in his abilities and knowledge.

The supportive and positive environment at Kilbreda College has been instrumental in James’s development.

The environment has been a huge factor.

When I started, my skills were not the best, but I was given so much support and opportunities to learn.

His communication skills have notably improved, especially in listening to and resolving student IT issues without frustration.

James’s dedication and openness to learning have not gone unnoticed. The moment he had the opportunity to extend his traineeship and roll over from a Certificate III to a Certificate IV in Information Technology, he eagerly accepted.

I knew there was no question about it. I told Mark I wanted to do it.

For James, the experience and qualifications gained from this traineeship are invaluable as he continues to build a career in IT.

Reflecting on his journey, James is grateful for the support he has received and the confidence he has gained.

Having the foundation of two years of experience working in IT and

the qualifications I have gained on my resume is huge for me.

With aspirations to continue in IT support roles, James looks forward to the future with renewed optimism and confidence.

James’ story is a great example of the power of perseverance, the importance of a supportive work environment and the amazing impact of education and training.

His journey from demolition work to IT support is an inspiring example of how embracing change and seizing new opportunities can lead to personal and professional fulfilment.