After Year 12, Kiana traded her McDonalds uniform to study with the Northern Beaches Mosman College. Now she’s on a career path towards primary school teaching.
On completing her HSC, Kiana didn’t see herself one day going to university, having opted to do the non-ATAR course during her high school senior years. She was working as a manager at McDonalds and was keen to finish the Certificate III in Early Childcare Education and Care, a course she had started through TAFE while still at school. A friend recommended the Northern Beaches Mosman College (NBMC) as an alternative to TAFE.
While the North Manly resident admits she was ‘super nervous’ to start at the college, Kiana, now 20, soon found herself at home. “It was just so smooth and calm,” she says of her first day at the Brookvale campus. “I felt safe in the environment.”
She was also pleased to find her trainers, Tracy and Michelle, dedicated to their roles and very experienced, having previously worked in childcare themselves. Kiana says they took the time to go through the content until it was understood: “They were super nice and they just want to help. They want you to come out and have that certificate.”
Class sizes were small, around 12 students, and because Kiana had already achieved competency in a handful of units through previous studies, she was able to receive credit transfers. This gave her the opportunity to fast track her course, managing to complete her Certificate III in around 10 months. Better still, Kiana met the NSW Fee Free requirements, so she was able to complete her Certificate III, along with a second course, the Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care at no cost. “It was so good not to have that pressure on myself to pay for it,” she says.
Kiana worked at a small childcare centre in Freshwater part-time while completing her Certificate III, and found the practical elements of study to be useful. Creating lesson plans had Kiana working out activities and analysing where the activities were to take place, how many children would be involved and what resources were required. “I would come back to the plan NBMC provided for me to follow step by step,” Kiana says, adding that the trainers from the college would then come to the centre to ‘see our wonderful bond with the children and the activity we created for them.’
“I’ve always loved being around children,” Kiana says. “My experience (at the childcare centre) has been so beautiful, seeing the children grow up (over the years).”
While nearing the end of her Diploma, Kiana made a decision to pursue primary school teaching, and Natalie Thornberry from NBMC was instrumental in helping her find a pathway to university study. “Natalie has honestly been a legend. We sat down to research different universities and how much it would cost. Natalie helped me and supported me to find information.”
Kiana settled on Notre Dame University and has started a full-time degree in primary school education. Her time at the college has set her up well for university study, which she juggles while working three days per week at her new job at childcare centre in Brookvale. “I’m finding university easy. Just because I have done my certificate at NBMC. I’ve got the knowledge and the experience,” she says.
Time management is also a skill she developed at the college, along with practical learning experiences within her diploma which delved deeper into all aspects of childcare – including leadership and management.
Completing her courses at NBMC has given Kiana the confidence to take on university – an option she didn’t even consider after leaving school. She says she would ‘100 per cent’ recommend NBMC to school leavers and those looking for a new career path. “It’s probably the best experience I’ve had in a long time,” she says. “I want to thank all the trainers at NBMC for all of their time – I really miss them now I’m not there any more!”
NBMC is a not-for-profit organisation located in Brookvale, which provides a number of accredited training courses in areas like business, childcare, counselling, aged care and more.
Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care: CHC30125
