Olivia finds her passion for working with children

“When I finished year 12 I had no idea what I wanted to do and which direction to take so my careers teacher suggested I look at a traineeship,” she said.

Olivia applied for a traineeship in Education Support at Our Lady Help of Christians primary school and was amazed by how much she loved it.

“It was such a great experience and I learnt so much. The traineeship helped me to become more independent and I’ve found what I want to do,” she said.

During her traineeship Olivia said she helped out in the prep classrooms, supporting teachers, creating resources and working with children who required extra assistance.

“It gave me a great insight into what teachers do and taste of working in schools,” she said.

Olivia is now employed at Koroit and District Primary School and is currently studying her Certificate IV in Education Support. She has plans to one day go to university and gain a teaching qualification.

“I’m just loving it. Schools are such a beautiful environment and to watch the growth in the kids is great,” she said.

Olivia said she would recommend the education support course and any kind of traineeship to anyone.

“My teacher was amazing. I felt so supported and it was great to be able to put what I was learning into practice in the classroom.

“It’s such a scary time when you’re in year 12 and you don’t know what to do. But I talk to so many people now and tell them to take as many different steps as they need to find out what they’re interested in,” she said.