Trading tools for the classroom

By Rebecca Fraser
A FORMER chef, an electrician and a carpenter have recently undergone a dramatic career transformation and are set to take up new teaching posts at two Casey schools later this month.
The teachers are among 31 trainees who have undergone a ground-breaking State Government-funded Career Change program — the first of its kind in Australia.
Education Services Minister Jacinta Allan last Monday officially congratulated all of the teachers.
She said the participants would help meet a demand for teachers in the hard-to-staff areas of technology, science, languages, maths and science.
Dean Argoon, of Emerald, has been an electrician for more than 22 years and will teach technology studies at Berwick’s Kambrya College.
Melanie Reynolds was a chef for more than a decade and will teach technology studies at Kambrya from the first term.
Rodney Triegaardt, a carpenter with over 10 years’ experience and who has also worked as a trade teacher in South Africa, will teach technology studies (woodwork) at Eumemmerring Secondary College.
Ms Allan said the Career Change program encouraged skilled professionals and tradespeople to redeploy their skills in the classroom.
Trainee teachers completed an intensive summer school course at Victoria University and will undertake a further two years of part-time study, and supervised classroom experience, for their qualification.
Mr Argoon, 42, said the program had offered him the lifestyle and personal change he had been looking for.
He said his grandfather had also been a teacher and he was looking forward to following in his footsteps and sharing his skills and experience with Kambrya students.
Mr Argoon has travelled around Australia extensively working in numerous mines and has a wealth of practical experience to share.
“I still have another 15 years of work ahead of me and I did not want to be climbing through roofs and under houses for the rest of my life.
“I was keen to get into the classroom and share my hands on work experience with students and discuss things like occupational health and safety and other workplace practices that I have learnt and seen,” he said.
Ms Reynolds lives on the Mornington Peninsula and said she was looking for a lifestyle change and a way to give something back to the community.
“I was not getting any younger and hospitality hours can be long and varied and I was working between 60 to 70 or even 80 hours a week.
“It is quite easy to burn out in that industry, but I wanted to stay in hospitality, so the next best thing was to educate people,” she said.
The 33-year-old said she had been teaching hospitality on a sessional basis at Chisholm Institute of Tafe and had enjoyed her first taste of teaching.
Ms Reynolds will help develop a VET hospitality program at the school and said she was excited but scared about the new opportunity.