General News
9 December, 2022
TAFE farewells the 2022 graduates
THIS year’s TAFE Cairns campus graduates are a special cohort, overcoming the challenges of a global pandemic and being the ones to commemorate TAFE’s 140th anniversary.
On Tuesday, December 6, over 400 people reunited to celebrate the achievements of 126 graduates from all types of certifications and diplomas, which will now go on to fill critical skill shortages in the community.
TAFE Queensland General Manager (North Region) Susan Kinobe said graduation day was always exciting.
“This is a really great day for our students,” Ms Kinobe said.
“It’s a culmination of their hard work, between six, eight or 12 months of hard work for some of them, and it’s about celebrating their success.
“For some of the students, this is the first time in their families that they’ve had a graduation ceremony or they’ve been able to progress into higher education or further their studies.
“So this is a very exciting day to celebrate,” she said.
The ceremony had students from all types of certificates and specialties, from barbering and hairdressing to beauty therapy, technology, business, horticulture and more; students were also able to be addressed by the Australian Apprentice of the Year, Jennah Halley.
Ms Halley said she wanted to let the graduates know they should choose the path that makes them happy.
“It’s exciting and a little nerve-wracking to be talking to the graduates,” she said.
“I want to send the message that training doesn’t have to go in one direction; it can go sideways, up, across, and there’s not just one avenue in the industry.”
During the ceremony, Ms Halley told the graduates that it was never too late to figure out their passion in life and that their educational journey would always continue.
“Six years ago, I was a single mum here in Cairns with four little kids, and I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” she said.
“My brother offered me an apprenticeship in refrigeration which I didn’t want to do because it was his thing, and I wanted my own, but I went through the years and did the training.
“The people at TAFE encouraged me to see more; fast forward to now; I’m the only qualified female refrigeration technician in Cairns, hopefully not for long.
“And I have become the national Apprentice of the Year for something I originally didn’t want to do,” Ms Halley said.
“Through my journey and recognitions, I realised there is a certain confidence that you need to be in any trade.
“Confidence in your abilities, confidence in your choices, and the advice my mentors gave me was – take every opportunity you can, and you never know where it’s going to lead.
“With the training that you’ve got now and with the services TAFE offers, you don’t realise that your industry can step sideways, not just up,” she said.
Ms Kinobe said graduation meant a lot to the institution and the many industries that would benefit from these graduates.
“It’s amazing for our economy, our communities and the individuals,” she said.
“We see a lot of young people aspiring to be like their parents or family who are graduating, so it’s an amazing achievement for them.
“But also to know that we’re making a difference for our community, for the skills shortage.
“We’re very excited for them to embark on their career and for the new generation that will come after them,” Ms Kinobe said.
