Meet the Trainer:

When asking Tilly about the campus and her background experience, I realised there was a whole story behind Tilly’s experience. So, I followed up to get a better understanding of her health care career, her heart for others, and some student stories from the Certificate III in Individual Support (CHC33021). 

How did your health care career begin? 

As a child, I wanted to be a missionary, a nurse, and a carer. I sometimes played as if I was blind or moved around in a wheelchair to try and understand how it would feel. At age 13-14, I went and experienced working in both home and community care. By age 15-16, I was working with an organisation organising activities and trips for the elderly. 

At 17, I went and worked in residential care. I worked a few years with the elderly and frail. Unfortunately, I was emotionally challenged by multiple experiences because, at the time, client abuse wasn’t dealt with properly.  Workers didn’t know who to talk to when difficulties would arise. I went on working in many different fields, including massage therapy. I came back to the health and aged and disability care field here in Australia. 

What experience do you have in health care? 

I have experience in home and community, residential, aged care, disability and recently with allied care (OTA). I worked in remote locations around Alice Springs, Halls Creek residential care. This work included rural and urban communities. 

What do you like about working in health care? 

I like to think that through our care, our clients can enjoy a better quality of life. We get to be a positive part of others’ lives while creating better aged and disability services. 

I am proud of the many positive changes take took place between when I first started and now. Many negative experiences workers and clients used to experience are being actively addressed today. The evolution of the caring field is improving for both workers and clients. I.e., manual handling procedures, advocacy, quality training, care and consideration for mental health, and workload. 

Why did you decide to become a trainer? 

My other passion has always been teaching. I love sharing my experiences, my mistakes, my stories, and my successes. I also take pride in watching students growing into new self-development and discovering capacities and skills that they would not have even imagined they own. Teaching the academic knowledge and then observing their practical skill enfolding in front of my eyes during work placement is such a reward. 

Training also gives me time to reflect and take a break from work. 

That’s why I love to alternate caring positions with training and assessing roles. I love working in the field as much as being the trainer. 

From my experience, I can confirm that, as a trainer, we can change the field for a better one. We can also assist students in creating positive changes in their well-being and life prospect. 

I have had students dramatically improving their English as a side effect. Some student reduced their anxiety issues, while some students completely changed their lifestyle. They went from being assisted and supported by others to becoming mentors supporting fellow students. 

What do you like about the Certificate III in Individual Support? 

This certificate is often an opportunity to get a “big picture” perspective of the health care industry. I often see some students starting with this certificate, thinking that they would not even succeed at it and, during the course, they discover new qualities and skills and go ahead and study for subjects they even more. 

This certificate opens multiples doors to working in the health field and offers a range of working schedules. 

For example, parents dealing with many schedule challenges will need a career with flexible hours, different sectors to work. This certificate provides more flexible hours and sectors to work in, such as residential, home care services, domestic services, and respite care. Workers can also specialise further, such as caring for people living with dementia or receiving palliative care. 

 Over the years, I have seen quite a few students go into other health qualifications, like nursing, to be a registered nurse. But also, some of the students go into a completely different field. 

I had a student that realised she was successful. So, she went on to find a business partner and buy a food truck😉 Ten years later, she is still succeeding. 

I just love to see so many students use this certificate to create a new lifestyle, make new friends, and find value and happiness in their own lives. 

Conclusion 

Tilly’s heart for others is clear through how she speaks about her caring experience and how her students have reached new careers through health care. We are proud to work with her on the Celtic Training team. 

If you have any questions about the current course she is teaching, the Certificate III in Individual Support (CHC33015), or another qualification we offer, please enquire here. We will get back to you and help you discover your pathway.