Hello CSU students, lecturer and markers

My name is Dannelle and I have been interested in the learning journey of others since commencing my own traineeship at the age of 18. I began my career working with the NSW Department of Education and Training. Since then I have continued to complete Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, including my Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. It was never my intention to become a trainer/assessor. I completed the training and assessment qualification to support my compliance role within a registered training organisation (RTO). Eventually I discovered that I really enjoyed training others to see them learn and grow in their careers. Now I am torn between wanting to manager other trainers so they can be the best trainers possible and still wanting to work directly with students myself – so I still do both and believe I always will.

Working in a community college, we aim to support those who are disadvantaged in our community. Our training focusses on the foundation skills of language, literacy, numeracy and digital skills. Some of our best outcomes for students come through being patient and supportive. We take our time to meet the individual needs of our students and value their uniqueness. Often our students have so much going on that unfortunately other providers don’t take the time to understand. The most satisfying students to work with are the ones who have really overcome major barriers to attending classes who eventually love coming to class so much they don’t leave, they make friends and we see their confidence bloom. To me this is what makes a community college a great place to start a learning journey.