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What we’re talking about:

In this episode, I’m interviewing Len and Ben about the Certificate III in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration at Box Hill Institute.

2:58 Beginning of the interview with Len

Len is the Manager of Refrigeration in the Faculty of Trades, Technology and Transport at Box Hill Institute, and a teacher in the Certificate III in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration.

3:37 Len talks about how the Certificate III in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration works.

Len discusses the learning that happens when students are at Box Hill, how it links in to their apprenticeship with their employer, the entry requirements for the course and how to meet these requirements if you don’t have them straight away. He also talks about the opportunity to come to Box Hill Institute and get a tour of the facilities to help you work out whether it’s the right course for you.

10:11 Len talks about the career opportunities in the industry

Len shares the wide range of job opportunities available and explains where graduates of the course end up working after they’ve completed their training, as well as the types of work they are qualified to do.

15:17 Beginning of the interview with Ben

Ben is in his second year of the Certificate III in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration at Box Hill Institute.

16:29 Ben talks about what he was like as a student in high school

Ben explains that he was into music and woodwork at school. He was thinking of maybe pursuing sound engineering after he finished school, but wasn’t really sure how to get there and how his VCE studies were going to help him. After he found himself just not interested in VCE, he decided to leave high school and pursue a trade instead.

24:10 Ben explains how he found his first apprenticeship

He wasn’t initially sure what trade he wanted to do, so he reached out to his family’s landlord who was a registered builder doing maintenance for body corporates. Because of the nature of this work, it gave Ben the opportunity to try out a range of different skills so that he could then choose an area that he really enjoyed. Through this process he started an apprenticeship as a builder.

27:50 Ben talks about his career in sales and management

After his first apprenticeship fell through, Ben followed a different path and had a lot of success in different roles in sales for various employers, and then worked his way up from customer service to management at Centrelink. After a few years he decided to leave the comfort of that role to try a new challenge in sales at Mercedes Benz, but when Covid caused a downturn in that industry he went back to working at Centrelink before taking the leap to get back into doing a trade.

34:45 Ben talks about his experience in the Certificate III in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration

He shares what he’s been learning throughout the course and how it changes from first to second year, how it fits in with his apprenticeship, and how he’s found studying at Box Hill Institute. He also talks about the type of work he does day-to-day in his apprenticeship.

43:16 Ben explains how you might know that this industry is for you.

He talks about the types of things you might be interested in and/or good at if you’re a good fit for getting into the industry of air conditioning and refrigeration.

Links mentioned:

Discuss the podcast and get free career counselling advice here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/vcecourseandcareerchat

Certificate III in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration at Box Hill Institute: https://www.boxhill.edu.au/courses/certificate-iii-in-air-conditioning-and-refrigeration-etr20-app/

My website: https://www.roadmapeducation.com

Check out career planning digital resources here: https://www.roadmapeducation.com/resources