Photo: Taleena Simon with TAFE teachers Sandra and Scott on graduation day.

Ten dedicated students graduated this month with a Certificate IV in Fitness, an exciting first for NCIE’s Job Ready program.

The group were recognised at a graduation ceremony in front of their teachers, TAFE NSW representatives and the NCIE team, including Job Ready founder and mentor Aunty Beryl van Oploo.

The Job Ready journey for these students began at the start of the year at TAFE and at NCIE when they started their Certificate III in Fitness. This qualification taught them the fundamentals of work in the fitness industry, and equipped them to work in gyms as fitness instructors.

Fast forward a few months later, these graduates are now qualified personal trainers, keen to help the community achieve their fitness goals and get clients of their own.

Some of the graduates with TAFE teachers Sandra, Tony and Scott

At the graduation ceremony, Tony Spitzer from TAFE NSW said “it became clear after the students’ success in completing the Cert III, that offering the next course would be a necessary next step.”

Job Ready Manager Shane Sturgiss is proud to see how the Job Ready program has been able to grow because of the dedication and eagerness to learn shown by these new graduates.

“This is the first Certificate IV graduation we’ve seen here at NCIE so congratulations to you all. It’s wonderful to be able to look around and work with people who want to push and progress.”

Eli Roberts thanks TAFE and NCIE on behalf of the graduates

Indu Balachandran, NCIE’s Chief Operating Officer talked about how these fitness qualifications have been a long time in the making.

“This course was a real experiment. We did it because we’ve been trying to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander PTs at NCIE Fitness for a long time, and we’ve been overwhelmed by the success of the program, thanks to the extraordinary support of TAFE.

“We’re so proud to see so many people complete the Cert IV, and we’re proud to be the place where community can come to get these certifications.”

Taleena Simon, Garry Taylor and Eden Mashman-Woods received special recognition at the ceremony for their particularly outstanding efforts throughout the course.

After the ceremony, graduate Eden said the course was made easier because of the support she received inside and outside the classroom.

Cert IV Graduate Eden Mashman-Woods with Job Ready Manager Shane Sturgiss and NCIE Fitness Manager Tim Murray

“I really enjoyed it. I spend a lot of time at NCIE [as a lifeguard, swim instructor and duty manager], so I was lucky to have the support of the NCIE Fitness team when I needed it. They really helped me get through my studies.”

Thanks to our training partner TAFE NSW for delivering the course, and the teachers who worked with the students throughout the year.

We can’t wait to see the big things in store for this deadly team!

Look out for some of these graduates at NCIE Fitness. Find out about personal training at NCIE here.