Certificate IV in Training and Assessment
For Ms Vasemaca Vuki, studying at the Australia-Pacific Technical College (APTC) provided numerous opportunities to grow professionally.
Ms Vuki, who is from Fiji, has a wide range of experience as a trainer, having worked as a Training Officer with St. John Ambulance for seven years, and then, when working at Sonaisali Island Resort, she first heard about APTC.
She decided to undertake Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and says her APTC experience has been "unforgettable".
Although she encountered challenges, she was determined to upskill for her professional growth.
“I was acting in two roles; as the training officer and covering for the resort’s personal assistant. It was a challenge as I was carrying out those responsibilities and required to be in training at the same time,” she said.
She adds that she now has more knowledge of what training is all about.
“I worked hard for the qualification and then had the chance to implement ideas that I learned during the training, such as AIDA, designing learning plans, setting objectives as well as the four-stage training approach, which I found very useful, as it is one strategy that I use to capture the attention of participants and it has worked marvellously.”
“APTC’s extensive training brought out the best in us,” she added.
After graduating in 2008, Ms Vuki went on to work as a Human Resources Assistant for Fiji Broadcasting Corporation and then joined Fiji Red Cross Society (FRCS) as the Safety Programme Coordinator.
She also worked with global freight company, Williams & Gosling Ltd for two years before returning to FRCS.
She says her APTC training has greatly helped her meet training goals in her current work, which has been recognised by FRCS counterpart, New Zealand Red Cross Society. She has since co-facilitated training for Samoa and Tonga first aid instructors’ and also attended the coordinator's training in New Zealand.
“My Certificate IV qualification has been giving me all these opportunities. APTC has worked wonders in my career as a trainer and helped me tremendously in contributing towards the organisation.”
Ms Vuki is now pursuing further studies at the Fiji National University and hopes to be in a higher managerial role in 10 years’ time.
She advises other APTC graduates and students to grab any training opportunity with both hands and always have a positive attitude. “If you cannot achieve something you want now, you can still achieve it, it may not be the exact way you want, but may even be better.”
She enjoys keeping in touch with APTC through the APTC Alumni Association and is always scrolling through the APTC website to stay up-to-date. “It was a blessing to have encountered APTC.”