At 55 years old and after 30 years in the printing industry, Phil started to seriously think about what to do next. Over the past few years, Phil had experienced retrenchments, stints of casual work and periods of unemployment. The printing industry had changed and shrunk its workforce and with another retrenchment looming, Phil knew that he needed to change directions and find something that was going to keep him in work for the next ten years.
Phil said he has always loved gardening, but he knew it would be a challenge to find someone willing to employ an older worker without experience. He thought vocational education and training could be the answer to growing a career in the horticultural industry.
“I’ve loved gardening for years and am passionate about native plants and I realised this was what I really wanted to do for the rest of my working life. I took a risk and decided to study horticulture,” said Phil.
Phil enrolled in the Certificate III in Horticulture with Melbourne Polytechnic. By December 2019 he had completed all of his course work and had sent his resume to at least fifteen different companies.
“I knew my chances weren’t great. I was 56 by then, passionate and knowledgeable, fit and ready to work, but had no horticulture work experience.
“I got a job one day after finishing my course work. I couldn’t believe it. Although it was a low-skilled casual job I knew that this was the break I needed. So I took it.
“I am now in a full time, ongoing position in property maintenance. I’m loving being outdoors, learning new skills and using what I learnt on my course. I’m so thankful to be employed during the COVID-19 crisis. If I hadn’t done that course it’s likely I’d be either unemployed or working casually in printing factories, wishing I was out in the sunshine,” said Phil.
Phil Ward, Maintenance Horticulturalist, Maintaining Melbourne Pty Ltd
Michael Hartman, CEO of Skills Impact, said Phil’s story is illustrative of the exciting career pathways a vocational qualification can offer somebody, at any age or stage of their career.
“Many people associate vocational education and training with young people starting a career. It certainly is a great way for our younger generation to start a career, but there are people in our society of various ages and different points in their life who want to change their career and vocational education and training is an excellent way of doing this,” said Michael.
Ray Redford, Lead Teacher at Melbourne Polytechnic Parks and Gardens, said they get a lot of students looking for a career change, including many students who already have university qualifications.
“Many students go on to find work in the industry or further study within TAFE. We engage with employers regularly to ensure our training materials are up to date and to organise worksite experience for groups of our students, so they can gain genuine practice working alongside horticulturists on worksites. An example of this is a local cemetery where we help with pruning,” said Ray.
Horticulture has been identified as a field where skilled workers are constantly needed, and it’s an industry that is expanding as innovations and technology in the field create new opportunities.
As with other vocational training programs, graduates of horticulture courses learn from people with real industry experience, obtaining practical skills and knowledge that relate to real work situations.