Where Are They Now?

This month sees the launch of 'Where Are They Now?' articles which is a new initiative designed to share the career journeys of previous VET Cadets and the challenges and achievements they have faced along the way.

This month I met with Yasmin Kiss who was part of the 2016 intake for the Aboriginal VET Cadet program. Yasmin completed a Certificate IV in Project Management. During the first 12 months of her program, Yasmin was placed in former RMS at the Wollongong office where she started developing her project management skills.

Here Yasmin talks about her experience during and after the program.

What role did you land in directly after the program?

After coming off the VET Cadet program in November 2018, I went into the role of Operations Officer in the Network Services Division of NSW TrainLink.

Are you still in this role today?

Yes, I have been in this role since leaving the program.

Is this the role you aspired to or envisioned for yourself when you were on the program?

I didn’t know what role I wanted to go into after the program. Around the time that I started the program, back in 2016, I fell pregnant and then had 12 months leave before coming back to Transport to resume my program. I was just happy to be back at Transport and start focussing on my career again.

When I returned to Transport, I worked closely with my placement manager, James McKenna, who assigned me duties that were very similar to the role of the Operations Officer . My role included cleaning audits, banking and invoicing, and catering services.

Looking back at your time on the program, what were the highlights?

During the last 12 months of my program, I won a Talent Recognition award for the category of customer service which was presented to me at the end of year Talent Forum.

What is the one key thing you took away from your time on the program?

I really feel that I improved my communication skills while on the program because I was moving between different teams in the first 12 months at RMS but also moving into a completely different Transport agency when I came back after leave and had to build relationships with a new team. It really helped that my manager in NSW Trainlink had had a VET Cadet previously and was really supportive.

What did you enjoy most about the program?

I liked that the program gave me an opportunity to work full time while learning and gaining a qualification. I also enjoyed having the support while on the program.

What advice would you give to current participants coming towards the end of their program?

For me personally, towards the end of my program, I was trying to actively work on my skills and put my hand up with any work and /or opportunites.