Pathways to Promotion
Western Business School business trainee surprised by the progression a trainee can make in a company
Josh Kerr had tried to complete university several times since finishing high school. He was part of the 30% of Australians who believe that VET graduates struggle to find work, and that the only path to a rewarding career was with a university degree.
But each time, he found that the type of study that university offered didn’t fit his learning style. Then, he decided to try a traineeship through NextGen Jobs. Here, he gained practical workforce experience and learned the skills he needed to progress in his chosen field.
The fact is that VET graduates have a higher employment rate than university undergraduates. More than 78% of VET graduates are employed after training, while undergraduate employment sits at 69%. (National Centre for Vocational Training 2016)
Keen to start a job in an office environment, Josh applied for a traineeship with K&L Gates. He thought that it would be an amazing opportunity to complete his Certificate III in Business while also earning an income in a job that he enjoyed.
“For near on 6 months I was trying to find a job in an office environment and I wasn’t having luck and that’s when I came across the NextGen Jobs traineeship.”
Since starting his traineeship with K&L Gates, Josh has worked in client services, office services, and reception. “I was fortunate enough to be given a number of roles that I could excel in while also honing my craft in an office environment.”
Just recently, Josh has been promoted to a Coordinator in Office Services. Through this role he is tasked with training new NextGen Jobs trainees - something he was just a year ago.
“It’s not something that I expected when first starting 12 months ago in a traineeship. It really shows what this traineeship can do and what opportunities it can present to you.
Doing the traineeship with NextGen Jobs and studying the Certificate III in Business, I really found that a lot of the activities and a lot of the projects that I completed related directly to the work environment.”
One of the things Josh values most about his traineeships is how open and available everyone has been. Whenever he has a question about what his role should entail within the working environment he was always able to reach out to someone in the company, whether it be his NextGen Jobs mentor, Carol, or people in payroll for finance related questions.
“If someone was thinking about doing a traineeship I would definitely recommend it. The amount of experience and the people that you meet just throughout this 12 month process will lead you down a really good path.”
