Case study: in depth account

My name is Patrick and I have been working in the capacity of an Automotive Mechanic for approximately 4.5 years. Initially I started in the role as a casual employee working as a tradesman’s assistant and quickly grew my interest in the industry and pursuing it as a career.

After talking to my employer about the possibility of undergoing a ‘Recognition of Prior Learning’ (RPL) program and researching about the process I was put onto the Trades Pathways program and submitted an online initial application to ensure my eligibility for the program.

The Trades Pathways program for Experienced Workers seemed suitable for myself as I was provided a list of outcomes that I had to provide assurance of competency by providing my case manager with job cards and photos for each training outcome.

This process of gathering evidence through photos and job cards was smoothly integrated into my day-to-day operations in the automotive workshop and after obtaining references for my supervisor/co-workers and employer, all evidence for the training outcomes were submitted as proof of competency.

Throughout the process my employer and co-workers were extremely helpful offering to assist with the gathering of evidence in the form of photos and references. The qualification is incredibly meaningful to me and really qualifies and quantifies the work and learning that I have been doing over the past 4.5 years into something tangible to help me progress in my career as an automotive mechanic.

I would strongly recommend the Trades Pathways program to anyone with experience in a trade job who wants to achieve a formal qualification and who is unsure of what they may be eligible for or how to proceed. The staff at My Trade Start are extremely accommodating, especially of my position and what I wanted to gain from the Trades Pathways program, offering fantastic guidance and support on the process and communicating with me regularly as we progressed through the course.

Note: Patrick wished not to be photographed