Traineeships Give You Everything You Need to Succeed
Former tassie Trainee at Marist College, Liam Viney, believes doing a traineeship at a school gave him everything he needed to succeed, and now he works with his former host employer as their Head of Sports.
“It’s a very nurturing and safe environment and instantly I felt comfortable like I could be completely myself. There is so much support around you at a school and I think this is why I thrived.
You have a whole network of people around you that help you succeed and that want the best for you.” said Liam.
Liam decided to take on a traineeship in his gap year. This would give him the opportunity to explore PE teaching and Sport Management, two areas he was interested in.
“I took on a traineeship at the school I went to, Marist Regional College and studied a Certificate 3 in Sport and Recreation and Certificate 4 in Sport Development. The reason I completed two qualifications was because through COVID I had more time to study so I smashed out two.
In my role as a sports trainee, I was given the opportunity to not only get an insight into PE teaching but also explore the management side of things such as manage bookings for the gym and work closely with the head of sports to run carnivals and events.
This role gave me a breadth of experience so I could really get an insight into the two areas I wanted to pursue.”
Liam wasn’t just gaining on-the-job experience; he was gaining lifelong skills too.
“I was learning so much in terms of life skills. I was going to meetings, and gaining skills in communication, time management and multitasking. But importantly, I felt I was evolving as a person, from a trainee I was developing and growing professionally and was given big responsibilities and projects.
Also, my employers had trust in me to do these tasks and projects so that was really rewarding.”
Although Liam enjoyed the PE teaching side of things, he discovered that Sports Management was really his passion.
“After school I didn’t get into the course I wanted, however when I completed a Certificate 4 in Sport Development in my traineeship that meant I got direct entry into University. I am now studying Sports Management at Deakin University.”
After his traineeship, Liam was also offered ongoing employment with the school and is working full-time as Head of Sports while he completes his uni degree.
“It’s pretty amazing, I now get to represent the school in this department. It’s a big responsibility but I love it.”
In addition to his endeavours, Liam was recently selected as a Finalist for the Skills Tasmania Trainee of the Year Award, which will be announced later in the year.
“It was such a great feeling to be nominated and selected for the award. I hope I can win so I can represent Tassie but if not, I am so grateful that I have been recognised in this way by my host employer.”
Liam continues to spread the message about traineeships to his mates.
“I tell people if they are looking for another pathway post high school then a traineeship is an awesome opportunity. It gives you clarity in what you want to do. If you don’t want to take a gap year to travel, then I would definitely recommend a traineeship.
The skills and experiences you learn are transferrable to other industries as well as university, and it looks brilliant on your resume.”
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IMAGE: Liam Viney
