Robert from Wollongong, Fleur from Bega and Sara from Sussex Inlet are among the five Illawarra and South Coast TAFE students to record exceptional scores in the TPC. Photos: TAFE NSW.
High performers from TAFE NSW’s Tertiary Preparation Certificate (TPC) are proving that alternate study pathways can foster great success, with students from Illawarra and the South Coast recording impressive scores which has earned them university entry.
Robert Chatel left school when he was just 15, choosing instead to get a carpentry apprenticeship and enter the workforce.
“I did okay at school but I didn’t enjoy it so I got out of there as soon as I could,” Robert said.
“I found it way too formal and way too structured.”
He continued to work as a tradie for years, even after moving from the UK to Australia in 2018, but a soccer injury suddenly changed his path.
“I broke my leg and had to get surgery,” Robert said.
“It turns out I have a bone condition and I probably shouldn’t have been doing construction.”
After being told by his doctor not to return to the career which he’d been in for more than a decade, Robert first tried his hand working in bars, but soon decided to pursue something he was more passionate about – engineering.
“I always enjoyed the theory side to carpentry, so the maths and all that, so I thought engineering would be a natural progression,” he said.
“I feel like a lot of the knowledge transfers and translates between fields.”
He enrolled in the TPC course to set him on the path to university and his new career, but it wasn’t without challenges.
“At first I had no idea what I was doing. I hadn’t studied for 12 years and even when I was at school I wasn’t studying properly so I had to learn how to study and that was a big part of it,” Robert said.
“I’d probably sit down for three or four hours every day just trying to figure stuff out. I had to make a schedule and stick to it, that discipline was the hard part.”
But that discipline and persistence was made possible by the skills the now 30-year-old had picked up throughout his years of work.
“If I’d have done this course when I was say 17 or 18, I wouldn’t have the same level of work ethic and I would’ve just tried to coast through it,” he said.
“Just being able to put your head down, do something that you don’t necessarily enjoy and just slug through it, helped me a lot.
“Knowing there’s a light at the end of tunnel and it’s going to get me somewhere.”
And his hard work paid off with Robert’s results at the end of the course the equivalent of an ATAR of 95.
“Honestly when I first got the results I didn’t really know what it meant. I got a 274 out of 300 and thought ‘oh sweet I passed’.
He was one of five students from across the Illawarra and South Coast who reached a mark of that calibre.
Sussex Inlet student Sara Lesakova’s result has helped her strive for a career in health, which was only made possible through the TPC after she was too old to start high school at 17 when she moved from the Czech Republic in 2024.
“English is my second language so at first I was worried I’d struggle with the language and the workload, but I got so much support and the atmosphere was great. I was never scared to ask questions,” Sara said.
“I was hoping to get into nursing as a career but when I got my results my teachers suggested I push for something more challenging.
“My ATAR equivalent is about 97 and I needed 90 to study a bachelor of medicine and health sciences so I’ve applied to get into those.”
Kayla Barnett from Coniston, Archie Fowler-Johnson from Kiama and Fleur de Gans from Bega also were among the highest achievers in the state.
“The high scoring success of these students shows there is no single path to university or a fulfilling career,” NSW Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Minister Steve Whan said.
In NSW, one in four students still leave high school before graduating but 90 per cent of new jobs expected to be created over the next decade will require post-secondary qualifications.
The TPC offers an alternate pathway resulting in a Tertiary Entrance Score, an ATAR equivalent, recognised by universities and employers as a Year 12 equivalent qualification.
“The TAFE NSW Certificate IV in Tertiary Preparation is designed for people who want to take control of their future through a more flexible learning approach, whether they’re returning to study, changing careers or simply looking for a different way to reach their goals,” Mr Whan said.
“Along with helping students develop essential skills in English, maths, science, humanities and so on, the course builds their critical thinking, research and academic writing skills within a supportive adult learning environment.
“When they graduate, students are prepared for both university and the workforce.”
More information about TPC and pathway options is available through the TAFE NSW website.
