Professional Development Blogs
Share your vocational area of expertise below and list a website below that you have come across which has valuable information relating to your industry area (the site can be a professional network or social media site).
219 comments
Flora Lu
Hi everyone, Flora here! I come from an IT and accounting background and gained my TAE qualification about 14 years ago. I worked as a trainer for a couple of years before taking a break to spend time with my young children. A few years ago, I made a career change into the education sector, and I’m glad to have the opportunity to use my TAE skills to train students in Certificate IV in School-Based Education Support. By upgrading to TAE40122, I hope to refresh my knowledge, strengthen my training skills, and stay up to date with current industry practices.
One website I find particularly useful is the **NSW Department of Education Policy Library**: https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library. It provides valuable information about policies and procedures that help School Learning Support Officers (SLSOs) understand and meet their legal and ethical obligations in the school environment.
Alana Muchirawehondo
Hi everyone, my name is Alana and my area pf expertise is aged care and community services. Through my experience in this industry, I have developed a deeper understanding of the importance of person-centred approach to care. each individual comes with their own list of needs and wants some more complex than others. Supporting individuals with those needs and assisting them in maintaining independence, dignity and quality of life only works when we work with the individual and create a person-centred action plan.
A website that has helped me along the way is Ask Izzy. this is a free resource that assists people who are looking for any services in their local area. This could be housing, food, mental health support, family service as well as financial hardship assistance, the list goes on.
Here is the link: https://askizzy.org.au/
Karina
Hi, my name is Karina and I am a Naturopath. My vocational area of expertise is the complementary medicine sector, where I have over 25 years of experience in various facets of the industry.
I have been a pharmacy trainer for many years, and I want to complete the updated version of TAE, as I am looking at expanding the health education programs I offer.
Useful industry websites are:
The Blackmores Institute https://www.blackmoresinstitute.org/
The Naturopaths and Herbalists Association of Australia https://nhaa.org.au/
PATRICK KEARINS
My vocational area of expertise is Business Services, with a particular focus on sales, business development, customer engagement, communication and leadership. I have experience across education, business management, financial services and sales, which has provided me with a broad understanding of workplace skills and professional development.
A website I find valuable is Training.gov.au (https://training.gov.au/). It is the official Australian Government website for nationally recognised training and provides access to training packages, qualifications, units of competency and assessment requirements. I believe it is a valuable resource for trainers and assessors because it helps ensure that training and assessment align with current industry standards and competency requirements.
I look forward to developing my skills further through the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and applying them to support learners in developing practical, industry-relevant skills.
Elizabeth Russell
Hi All,
My name is Liz and I am currently working as a School Learning Support Officer and a Business Manager in a local high school. In my current job a few websites that I find particularly useful are:
https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/technology-for-learning/resources
I also use my Education login to access even more websites particularly Edusearch and Educhat which is the NSW’s Government’s equivalent of ChatGPT.
I also found https://www.australianteacheraide.com.au/Home very helpful as a SLSO
clinton
Hello everyone
my name is Clint and I have a background in the coal mining industry, mainly operating haul trucks and bulldozers. Over the years I’ve gained plenty of hands-on experience working in active mine sites and following safety procedures, site requirements and production targets.
I’ve also spent time training people to become haul truck operators, showing them how to operate the machinery safely, helping them build confidence and giving feedback as they developed their skills.
I’m currently completing my Certificate IV in Training and Assessment so I can take the next step and work independently as a trainer and assessor. My main area of expertise is practical, hands-on mining training, especially around haul truck operations and safe mobile plant operation.
Sherelle
My vocational areas of expertise are Nursing and volunteering with the State Emergency Service (SES). Through these roles, I have developed skills in communication, teamwork, supporting people, problem-solving and responding to different situations.
I am completing this course to build on my existing skills and knowledge, create more opportunities for different types of work in the future, and develop my ability to support and provide education to others within my current work roles.
A useful website I have found is the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Board Ahpra (NMBA) website. It provides information about nursing and professional standards. https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/Professional-standards/registered-nurse-standards-for-practice
Lisa Howarth
Hi Everyone, My name is Lisa and I’m excited to start my TAE journey.
Throughout my career I have worked in a range of industries from the private sector through to Government. I am experienced in Business and Accounting and have a passion for the Ag Industry which I was born and raised in.
I find the NSW Farmers relevant to me as it ticks a lot of boxes. Theres useful information and links, interesting articles, courses, grant information and wellbeing information just to name a few things. Feel free to check it out yourself. https://nswfarmers.org.au/
All the best.
Sarah
My vocational area of expertise is within the emergency services. A website I use often is https://www.aies.net.au/
Amanda Bailey
Hi, My name is Amanda. I have worked for many years in community services. I work and support women leaving domestic violence in the Staying Home Leaving Violence Program. Here is a website outlining the program.
https://dcj.nsw.gov.au/service-providers/supporting-family-domestic-sexual-violence-services/dfv-programs-funding/staying-home-leaving-violence.html
Carles
Hi,
Carles here.
Been a technical trainer for almost a decade. AI took my job (like many), so now looking to upskill to land my next one.
Looking to level up my training skills even further with the Cert IV in Training.
Cheers,
Carles
—
Icanmakeit.org
Martial Arts | Confidence Coaching
Ellen Fife
Hi all,
I currently expertise in Fire & Rescue training and have a Diploma in Emergency Health Care. I look forward to educating others in the mining industry to learn these important skills.
Sarah
Hi Everyone,
My name is Sarah. My background is primarily Business and Administration.
I’m hoping to gain additional skills to pivot and expand on my current career.
Currently I am working in the medical section and rely upon Royal Australian College of General Practitioners for changes to legislation and practices. Here is a link to upcoming changes to My Health Records. https://www.racgp.org.au/running-a-practice/technology/clinical-technology/my-health-record-in-general-practice.
Sindu Padmanabhan
Hi everyone,
I’m Sindu. I have a background in psychology and research, and I’m currently involved in community service. I’m doing a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAE40122) to improve my training skills and to use what I learn in my community work.
Sara Muzamil
Hi everyone,
My name is Sara, I manage the Finding safety Project at JEsuit Refugee Service Australia. I work with women on temporary visas experiancing gender-based violence. I’m very passionate about teaching and sharing my knoweledge in human services, and taking Certificate IV in Training and Assessment will allow me to teach and share my expertise.
Kelsey
Hi, my name is Kelsey. I am a property manager. I’m here because whilst I love the industry I work in, after performing a variety of roles and being exposed to a diverse range of agency environments and individuals, I believe change starts with education, and this is where my greatest contribution can be made.
Typically, a website that assists me in the day-to-day in my industry is the NSW legislation website:
https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/whole/html/inforce/current/act-1900-025
Liam
Hi everyone I’m Liam, an Operational Officer with the NSW RFS. A part of my job is to contribute to the continual improvement of skills of our volunteer membership as well as other staff in the district. As part of my role in the district I’ve been an instructor on volunteer courses, run short sessions for the other staff in the team and now I’m currently running a school cadet program for high school students. Training was never on the radar as something I’d be interested in but my role has slowly evolved and now it’s become a bigger part of what I do. In the few sessions I’ve run or been a part of I’ve found that it’s quite rewarding and it’s something I need to embrace so that I can provide the best level of instruction to our members as it’s the least I can do as a trainer.
Vandana Setia
Learning has always been an important part of my journey. I have reached a stage where I want to take my passion for working with people, sharing knowledge and empowering others to the next level.
I am undertaking TAE40122 as I want to develop the skills and confidence to become a trainer and educator. My goal is to eventually teach at TAFE and, in the longer term, explore opportunities to teach at university.
Slava Tutukin
Hi! My name is Slava and I am working in the field of theatre and ballet. Upon completion of the CERT IV in Training and Assessment, I will be able to explore further career opportunities within the industry, particularly in education, training and supporting dancers and emerging artists.
My experience includes working with professional dancers, theatre companies, creative teams and arts organisations internationally. I am interested in sharing practical knowledge about dance, helping artists develop their skills, and supporting them in preparing for a professional career in theatre and ballet.
One website that I found which has interesting information about my industry area is Ausdance, Australia’s national dance network. It offers industry news, resources, professional-development opportunities and information for dancers, educators and organisations:
https://ausdance.org.au
Many thanks.
Best regards,
Slava
Callan Hamilton
My background is somewhat diverse, originally in Hospitality with expertise as a qualified Chef, and hold a Certificate IV in Commercial Cookery, I have also spent a significant amount of my career in people management holding a Diploma in Leadership and Management. My current field of expertise is in the Disability sector. My final goal would be to teach at TAFE.
A great resource for this is… https://careers.tafensw.edu.au/teaching-at-tafe-nsw
Omar
Hi , my name is Omar. I am a dedicated Registered Nurse working with NSW Health. Previously a high school teacher in East Turkistan, I developed strong communication, cultural awareness, and a commitment to education that continues to guide me—including volunteering each weekend as a teacher at the Uyghur Community School to support cultural preservation and learning for Uyghur children. I strive to deliver safe, patient-centred care while growing professionally, and outside work I enjoy travelling, sports, and exploring new cultures and languages.
Ella Rose Navarro
Hi my name is Ella, I am a nurse and a student nurse facilitator. I’m here to gain more skills and be a better educator and mentor to future nurses. Follow this link to find more information about the professional standards of my job in the operating room: https://www.acorn.org.au/
Rebecca Fenton
Hi, I’m Rebecca. I am a volunteer for Marine Rescue NSW as well as an employee in the insurance industry. I hope to gain skills that will help me in both places. The best source of information about Marine Rescue is their website: https://www.marinerescuensw.com.au/
Kelvin
Hi I’m Kelvin, I have a healthcare background and looking to get into first aid/ CPR training!
Mal
Hi I’m Mal, I’m a hairdresser and Barista and have been in business for over 20 years. I’m looking at expanding my opportunities.
https://iambarista.com.au/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23955185443&gbraid=0AAAAA-Zr10UKGzq5j-f37gn30MiXiPJTk&gclid=Cj0KCQjwp9vTBhCWARIsANaUrjviXuw9nvCkjjkZLTcXr-HEA1i3QSLbYgI38o2nZIfoB9TazKwZNE4aAh47EALw_wcB
Luana
My vocational area of expertise is eyelash extensions, lash education and professional beauty services. I have worked in the lash industry since 2017 and specialise in safe application, lash health, client care and training other lash artists.
A valuable industry website is the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC): https://www.accc.gov.au. It provides useful information about consumer rights, product safety and the responsibilities of beauty businesses in Australia.
Riina
Hi there, I have been working in the Early Childhood sector for the past 15+ years. During this time I have trained and mentored new and old staff members and have decided to make it official and gain the relevant qualification! The websites I use the most are:
https://education.nsw.gov.au/early-childhood-education
https://www.acecqa.gov.au
Angus Dalton
Good morning everyone, I’m Angus, I’m a Paramedic Specialist working in Sydney. I’ve also got experience working in Ambulance Education roles as an on-road educator as well as 4WD instructor, as well as the informal frequent peer-to-peer education undertaken as a specialist on road. I also work with a number of private companies performing first-aid education to non-clinician first responders, and remote environment work.
I’m undertaking this qualification to consolidate my knowledge regarding education practices, and formalise my certification in this area in order to pursue future roles both within Ambulance and externally.
A couple of resources I absolutely love for my training/education practices are UpToDate (https://www.uptodate.com) and Life in the Fast Lane (www.litfl.com). Both of these sites publish regular contemporary evidence reviews regarding clinical topics, and are useful in ensuring my trainees/students/peers recieve current, evidence-based education. Cheers!
Matt
My nominated vocational area is firefighting & emergency management. A site that has plenty of helpful relevant info is http://www.fire.nsw.gov.au
Ellie
Good afternoon,
My name is Ellie and my area of expertise is Human Resource Management. I have spent close to 10 years working in a range of generalist HR roles, specifically within the hospitality industry. A website I often refer to and seek for information and continuous learning is: https://www.ahri.com.au/ahri-membership?msclkid=cdd2ea131d011c1449988061ca795f32
Johanna
My area of expertise is community services, specially practice and project management. A relevant website for careers has been Linkedin, to discover new ways of thinking and connect with others in the same fields.
Widad Joumah
Hi my name is Widad Joumah, I work for a council operated Multipurpose Early Childhood Education service. In this role I am an Early Childhood Teacher and Nominated Supervisor. My focus as the Early Childhood Teacher is to deliver a quality program that supports children’s learning, development, and wellbeing. As the Nominated Supervisor and Responsible Person my focus is to ensure compliance, safety, and effective leadership, with the child’s best interests at the centre of all decisions. The resources I use to assist me with these roles are https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au
https://education.nsw.gov.au/early-childhood-education
https://www.acecqa.gov.au
Cameron
Hi,
My name is Cameron and I am keen to work on developing a lab tech skills course to support people working in high schools as lab support for Science. I have a background in science and education and think it would be great to develop a program that upskills people and supports them to do their job safely and with confidence.
A nice network page for labbies currently exists: https://schoolsnsw.sharepoint.com/sites/ScienceLaboratoryStaff/SitePages/CollabHome.aspx?ct=1784855777066&or=OWA-NT-Mail&cid=34226e23-c3bc-10cb-982e-5aabd3a425f6&ga=1&LOF=1&xsdata=MDV8MDJ8Y2FtZXJvbi5tY2RvbmFsZDY0QGRldC5uc3cuZWR1LmF1fDJmOGQ2M2FiZDkwZDRjYmRmYjcxMDhkZWU5MjRjOTllfDA1YTBlNjlhNDE4YTQ3YzE5YzI1OTM4NzI2MWJmOTkxfDB8MHw2MzkyMDQ1NDIyMDgzMzAwMzB8VW5rbm93bnxUV0ZwYkdac2IzZDhleUpGYlhCMGVVMWhjR2tpT25SeWRXVXNJbFlpT2lJd0xqQXVNREF3TUNJc0lsQWlPaUpYYVc0ek1pSXNJa0ZPSWpvaVRXRnBiQ0lzSWxkVUlqb3lmUT09fDB8fHw%3d&sdata=d1R2UGVZSEpKZlZkcmhlNWlPSUM0b0FsQmd1OTNmWlJueVVNRkR4eHVTZz0%3d
Brent
Cert IV in training and assessment to deliver training programs to in sports industry. Looking forward to learning the skills to be able to do this better.
Luke
Hi my name is Luke and my vocational area of expertise is software development. One site I use regularly and receive daily newsletters from is Information Age which is the main news publication of the Australian Computer Society (ACS) https://ia.acs.org.au/
Luke
Hi my name is Luke and my vocational area of expertise is software development
Tamara Pawlik
Hi, my name is Tamara. I have 12 years of experience working across various sectors of the hospitality industry and hold a Certificate in Hotel Administration.
Website featuring industry news and trends: https://www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au/
Catherine Morley
Hi I am a Nail Technician and Beauty Therapist.I have had several business’s in the past 30years and have now set up at home.Slowing down I plan to pass on my knowledge and expertise in the Nail industry and would love to go back to teaching.
Lauren
Hi Everyone,
My name is Lauren and I am a Registered Nurse working in a busy acute medical ward in a large public hospital. I enjoy clinical education and am looking to expand my expertise in this area.
Mark
My vocational experience is broad and covers mechanics, heavy vehicle/plant operation and communication skills. Unfortunately, the last one is not usually seen as a vocational field, but it well and truly should be! I’m currently working in a local government developing new standards for training and peer-to-peer learning/knowledge sharing programs for operators.
Emma-Lee MacMaster
I don’t have a true area of expertise but I have taught in schools a range of subjects from Hospitality, Agriculture, Computer Studies, Textiles, Permaculture, Careers studies. I want my focus to now be in Permaculture because Cert II has just been approved for delivery in schools. My original area of study is Science teaching.
https://permacultureaustralia.org.au/
Emma-Lee MacMaster
I don’t have a true area of expertise but I have taught in schools a range of subjects from Hospitality, Agriculture, Computer Studies, Textiles, Permaculture, Careers studies. I want my focus to now be in Permaculture because Cert II has just been approved for delivery in schools. My original area of study is Science teaching.
Lisa
Hi everyone,
I’m Lisa. I work as a Nurse and tutor at the university so doing this course to gain further expertise in my training.
Aisha
Hi everyone. My name is Aisha and my vocational area of expertise is aviation. I am currently working towards becoming a flight instructor which will allow me to teach and mentor future student pilots. A resource I regularly use is the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP). It contains rules, procedures and operational information that pilots use to ensure flights are conducted safely in accordance with aviation regulations.
https://www.airservicesaustralia.com/aip/current/aip/complete_19MAR2026.pdf
Merryn Sayer
I’m Merryn. My area of expertise is in the community service sector. I am a social worker and have spent most of my career working in child protection and parenting support. I’m passionate about social justice and human rights. The Raising Children Network site is my go-to in my personal parenting journey and in my work https://raisingchildren.net.au/
Merryn Sayer
I’m Merryn. My area of expertise is child protection and parenting support. I’m a social worker with an interest in social justice and human rights. Raising Children Network is my go-to for practical advice and support in my own parenting and when supporting others.
https://raisingchildren.net.au/
Olivia
Hi everyone, my name is Olivia and I am a Qualified Paramedic with NSW Ambulance. I have worked as a Paramedic for 5 years and before that was an Assistant in Nursing. The website that explains my work would be https://www.ambulance.nsw.gov.au/careers/paramedic
Ayla Woolley
Hello,
My name is Ayla. My area of expertise is horticulture, including plant health maintenance, weeding, propagation, community education alongside helping train other staff at my work place. I have a passion for developing my training skills and help others learn and understand horticulture in my community. A website I use that has great resources and ways to stay connected and up to date is; https://greenlifeindustry.org.au/
Nazih
Hi All – my area of expertise is IT leadership / technology strategy (enterprise transformation, digital delivery, governance and risk and large scale operational improvement).
A useful site I regularly refer to is LinkedIn, particularly for industry insights, leadership perspectives and real time discussions from technology executives and practitioners across sectors.
Kate
Hi everyone, my name is Kate and my vocational area of expertise is Cosmetic Nursing, Aesthetic Medicine and Clinic Management. I own and operate an aesthetic clinic in Sydney and am involved in staff training, mentoring and clinical education. A website I frequently use for professional development is the AHPRA website:
https://www.ahpra.gov.au
Susan
Hello everyone,
My name is Susie and I have volunteered for Marine Rescue for the last 9 years. We use our Marine Rescue NSW website for most of our resources.
https://www.marinerescuensw.com.au