Do you remember your favourite sports teacher, who just last year was a student at your own school? At the time, you may not have been aware, but it’s highly likely that they were a trainee given the opportunity to kick-start their career thanks to AFL SportsReady.
AFL SportsReady has been helping young Australians develop careers through traineeships and educational opportunities for over 25 years. One of those students, Zac Wells, has been able to turn his passion for sport into a traineeship and get first-hand experience of life as a teacher.
“It is quite challenging to go from a student then to work behind the scenes with the Teacher, but that is what makes the Traineeship so amazing. I get to have this first-hand insight into a career in PE teaching.”
Zac’s experience as a trainee has reaffirmed his passion for sport and teaching and confirmed this is the career pathway for him.
“Sport is simply what I love. It is a part of my life. I took the Traineeship on because I saw an opportunity to learn and grow in a field, I am passionate about and so far I have grown and learnt a lot. I learn how to interact with students, I learn what is involved in planning lessons and teaching classes, I learn all the admin involved, I learn what is involved in camps and sporting events.
“The Traineeship has inspired me to definitely go down the path of PE Teaching or even Sports Coaching. I come to work every day and it doesn’t feel like a job and that is because I love what I do so much.”
In 2020, AFL SportsReady offers a range of opportunities in IT, Arts, Sports, Horticulture and Administration for young people to experience what life as a teacher might be like. Riley Otten is a Project-Based Learning and Creative Arts Trainee at Lumen Christi Catholic College.
Riley has a strong knowledge in Maths and Science and is an excellent musician and technician. As part of his role, he maintains musical instruments and assists with the creation of the projects for the students. He is also well versed about Solar Electricity Systems which came to use in an Energy and Sustainability project.
“Having former students as trainees at the school really work. The knowledge of the school and the skills of staff within the school are great assets to the trainees as they move through their study,” a teacher said.
“The high level of trainees that come through the School Traineeship program help to alleviate the administrative burden felt by many teachers. Like Riley, trainees are trusted to work independently allowing their supervisors to focus on other areas, like one on one learning.”
AFL SportsReady has kick-started the careers of approximately 16,500 young jobseekers, including over 3,000 Indigenous Australians, and helped develop over 750 sporting organisations and other businesses across Australia, since they began over 25 years ago.
Their Indigenous Employment Program, Warumilang, not only provides vocational traineeships but also direct employment opportunities as well as cultural awareness and professional development services.
“AFL SportsReady doesn’t just find jobs, they launch careers.”
If your school is interested in taking on a Trainee, contact AFL SportsReady for more information here.
