Skilling Solutions Queensland visit eventful for Beenleigh woman
A decision to seek advice from the Queensland Government's Skilling Solutions Queensland career advisory service has resulted in a Beenleigh woman establishing her own events management business.
Minister for Employment and Training Tom Barton said the experience of Lesley Houston highlighted how the State Government's innovative Skilling Solutions Queensland service could help Queensland workers upgrade their employment skills or change careers.
Mr Barton said the Queensland Government established the Skilling Solutions Queensland service in March 2005 as part of the $1 billion dollar, three-year Smart VET strategy to provide training and career information advice to Queensland workers.
Mrs Houston, a mother of four grown-up children, said while she had wanted to obtain formal work qualifications to enhance her future work prospects, she didn't know where to go for help.
"The information I received from a number of training organisations suggested I would need to enrol in a one-year, or longer, study program which was not an option for me as I needed to work and couldn't afford to take a year off to study," she said.
"I got sick of training organisations trying to sign-me up for expensive courses and at that time I didn't know where else to go for further advice until I found out about Skilling Solutions Queensland."
After reading an ad in a local newspaper Mrs Houston decided to make an appointment to talk to Skilling Solutions Queensland at Logan TAFE.
"After speaking face-to-face with staff there about the various jobs I had done, and undertaking Recognition of Prior Learning pre-assessment, I discovered that my previous work experience would allow me to fast-track a Diploma in Event Management," Mrs Houston said.
The Recognition of Prior Learning process allows a person's work experience and work-based learning to be credited against the requirement of a formal work-related qualification, meaning formal qualifications can be obtained more quickly.
Mrs Houston undertook the pre-assessment offered through Skilling Solutions Queensland for a Diploma in Events Management, before undergoing the full Recognition of Prior Learning process through Logan TAFE.
"The staff at Logan TAFE were very helpful and always available. When I first undertook the assessment in May last year I had no idea that I would be able to gain a formal qualification in such a short period of time. I have only one legal assignment to hand in, and I will then have my Diploma in Events Management."
Mrs Houston said her experience with SSQ gave her the confidence to establish her own event management company—Winning Events Australia—and she now intends to obtain a Diploma in Marketing through the Recognition of Prior Learning process.
"When I first visited the Loganlea office of Skilling Solutions Queensland I really didn't know what sort of help to expect, but I can honestly say that spending an hour with the staff there has changed my life," Mrs Houston said.