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Studying forestry at NorthTec has widened career horizons for Trevor. He’s pleased to have been able to take a break from being in the kitchen as a chef, and the forestry course ticked all the boxes for him.
“It was great to get outside. The chainsaw skills and many different aspects of the forestry industry covered, such as safety, were all good. There’s so much to learn. We watched how logging crews operated, how trees were felled, how to watch for hazards, and how to work in the bush as a team.”
Trevor is back in the kitchen now for the time being, but loves having an outdoor work option up his sleeve, and one that can take him overseas.
“A job in forestry is a job for the future. The course was really worth doing - I enjoyed it.”
The best thing about the courses is that we learn totally on the job with the tutor when he comes on site.
“Now that I’ve started learning and upskilling, I have a 20 year plan to progress my life. I got into forestry first as a builder, and then started getting industry tickets through our employer through NorthTec. When I finished my first course I realised I could keep upskilling with added tickets and skills, and each time my knowledge and my pay go up.”
“The best thing about the courses is that we learn totally on the job with the tutor when he comes on site. Sometimes he’ll work with a group of us on the same thing, then he helps us one-on-one in our specialist areas. He guides us through the theory too but now with the new books and structures, we do a lot of that in our own time. I left school at 14 and I’m a talker and listener rather than a reader and writer, so there have been a few basic challenges but the tutor and my partner help me when I need it.”
“Every day is different and I want to take in as much as possible. I’m surprised at how much there is to learn and how keen I am. I jump on anything. I started with the extraction and the skidder tickets and now I’m doing log loading. Next I’ll move into mechanized processing then to the hauler tickets. After that, there are more gates that open as you progress.”
“Long term I’d love to start my own business as a trainer/assessor for forestry and build a great life for me and my family.”
Doing the course has changed my life and enabled me to live up here. I’m earning real money doing real work and it’s...
“I’ve finished the basic course and now have a job in forestry while I study on-site for the next level. I’m a butcher by trade and work is hard to get up here. My uncle is a tutor at NorthTec so I knew this forestry course could lead to a good possibility of getting a job.”
“We start at level 2 and learnt the basics like how to use a chainsaw, introduction to the bush, hazards and environmental safety, what not to do, and what we are liable for. I love that it is so hands on and very physical. The tutor has been out there and done it and the study is directly related to things that we actually do in the bush and need to know on site.”
“Physically applying the skill-set is a challenge. Using a chainsaw for hours at a time is tough on the body so it needs a special sort of fitness that you’ve got to build up. But it’s worth it because there are heaps of job opportunities here in forestry.”
“Doing the course has changed my life and enabled me to live up here. I’m earning real money doing real work and it’s good fitness training in the process. I hope my future is working in the bush because the opportunities are here but the bush is a hard environment so I want to make sure I keep up for it.”
I’m working with a company that is keen to upskill us and that pays well. Training on the job means you get to apply...
Nick Noble was already working as a breaker-out and skid worker in the forestry industry when his employer organised a group training for some of his crew.
“I’m working with a company that is keen to upskill us and that pays well. Training on the job means you get to apply what you’ve learnt straight away.”
Nick did an entry-level course before starting on his forestry training and was surprised by how much he enjoyed the process of learning. “We learned things like how to splice steel rope and how to work out safe working loads and tensions, so it was directly relevant to what we are doing every day. The tutor was patient and explained things in a way that was easy to understand.
“The training was a mix of on-the job work, paperwork, and study material to do at home, and it provided me with a lot more technical knowledge and understanding of why we do what we do. It also introduced me to the importance of having safe habits. We now put safety before everything else.”
Nick has now completed advanced qualifications in forestry. “The training has given me more job security and has increased my self-worth. These are things I hadn’t thought much about before. When I get more experience I would like to have my own machines and do my own thing as a sub-contractor.”