A new country meant new training pathways for tradie Tom

A move from the UK to Australia gave Tom Cotterill access to vocational training at school, which helped him realise he wanted to be a plumber.

Tom is standing outside smiling with arms folded in front of a ute.

Tom grew up in the UK, where his father was a tradie. As a small boy he used to watch his dad working, and since a very young age he wanted to work in the trades. He just wasn’t sure which one.

It was a move to Australia at the age of 16 that helped him find his calling. He’d already completed school in the UK so didn’t have to attend school in Australia, but his mum insisted.

‘My mum kind of forced me to go to school here – she said she wasn’t going to have me sitting at home all day! So, I went to school pretty much just to make friends,’ he says.

Tom wasn’t keen on taking the standard VCE pathway because he didn’t want to sit exams again. But he noticed that schools in Victoria offer options for students interested in vocational training.

‘I saw I could do VCAL, which meant that one day week you could choose to go to TAFE. And I had no idea what a TAFE was!’ he says.

‘But I saw that you could select things like plumbing or electrical training, so I chose to do that and to train at Frankston Chisholm.’

The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) has since changed to become the VCE Vocational Major(opens in a new window). VCE Vocational Major students complete at least 180 hours of VET (Vocational Education and Training), developing hands-on skills and improving their employability.

‘Being able to try TAFE one day a week, I was able to say to myself, “yeah, I definitely want to do this”. It’s good that you can do that here – I didn’t have that option back in the UK,’ says Tom.

When he decided to become a plumber and start his apprenticeship, Tom continued training at Chisholm. The relationships he built at TAFE supported him to succeed in his training.

‘At TAFE everyone’s different, so you make a group of friends, and you bounce off each other – the roofers are good at the roofing stuff, so they help you out, and you’re good at the drainage stuff so you help them out. You learn tips and tricks off everyone.’

Now a qualified plumber, Tom is working with the same company he started his apprenticeship with.

‘Everyone’s different but it’s the company that I’m with that has made me enjoy my work. I’m lucky with who I’m employed with. They really look after me.’

Tom knows some apprentices can face issues and has had some bad experiences himself in previous jobs.

‘Sometimes it can be tough, especially because it happens while you’re young as well,’ he says.

‘There are always going to be some bad companies out there, and you need to see that they’re not the ones for you. Find another company that’s going to treat you better.’

The Apprentice Employee Assistance Program(opens in a new window) (EAP) supports apprentices with challenges in work, training or their personal lives. The EAP offers free counselling and can be accessed online or by phone without the need for a referral.

Tom is happy with what he’s doing now – every day is different, he’s in a leadership role that he enjoys, and he gets good incentives. He appreciates his quality of life and knows that he has options to work his way up in his company.

His advice for someone trying to figure out what they want to do is to try work experience for a short time – a week or even just a few days – with different trades.

‘You could try the electrician side, the plumbing side, or being a chippy [carpenter], a tiler or a painter. Just to see how you like it,’ he says.

‘Uni can be stressful sometimes and it’s not for everyone. It’s definitely not for me – I’m more of a hands-on person.’

‘If that’s what you’re like, then having a trade behind your back is going to be the best thing.’

A chef in a black jacket and hat smiling with arms crossed in a commercial kitchen.

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A new country meant new training pathways for tradie Tom

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A new country meant new training pathways for tradie Tom

A new country meant new training pathways for tradie Tom