Community
11 December, 2023
Testing their skills
A NEW cohort of 100 graduates are ready to take on the challenges of the professional world after the TAFE Queensland Cairns Campus graduation ceremony.
Over 250 guests attended the ceremony on Tuesday that celebrated the achievements of the 100 students who have completed a range of qualifications like certificates, diplomas and apprenticeships in diverse areas like nursing, accounting, tourism, hospitality, health and beauty and more, and will go to address critical skill shortages in the region.
TAFE Queensland general manager (north region) Susan Kinobe said she was very proud of the 2023 graduates.
“I’m always impressed by the students our Cairns campus consistently produces who have worked so hard and invested a significant amount of time in their studies this year. So it’s an absolute privilege to be able to celebrate this special moment with our graduating students and pay tribute to them and their families,” she said.
“There is no greater reward than seeing our students complete their studies knowing we’ve played a significant role in their journeys and being able to share this memorable day with them.”
Graduate in cert III in health services assistance Elsie Allen said she was excited to continue her educational journey.
“This is one of my best achievements and I’m very happy to celebrate it,” she said.
“I’d love to be a paramedic one day so I’ll continue to study, I’ll go through university or TAFE to get there. Studying this certificate with TAFE has taught me to better understand other people and have more empathy for others.”
Graduate Nattanun Bophuet said he would like to use his cert III in health services assistance to work at a hospital.
“It was a six month program but it’s such an honour to feel like I’ve made a difference,” he said. “My goal right now is to become a nursing assistant in one of the hospitals. Through this certificate I learned to be more patient and more empathetic, and I’d like to apply that to my work.”
Ms Kinobe said seeing students graduate made her excited for the future of the region.
“We’ve seen students graduate and go on to do amazing things with the knowledge and skills they’ve learned during their time at TAFE Queensland, from becoming leaders in their field to starting their own businesses,” she said.
“No matter what career our students choose to pursue, their contribution is invaluable to the region, and it fills me with immense pride to see them triumph.”
