Barsha^ arrived in 2008 from Bangladesh as a refugee, looking forward to the fresh start that a new life in Australia promised. Her husband found work and Barsha settled into her home, looking after her young children that were born soon after.
Raising her own children reinforced her passion to one day work with kids. Back in Bangladesh, careers that involved children were mainly medical or school teaching and Barsha was wary of committing to a career that would take several years of study and involve long hours at work. She knew that whatever she did, her family would always come first.
The Perfect Job Does Exist
One day, Barsha stumbled across information on becoming a Child Care Educator. It seemed like the perfect job! At 30 years old, she thought she would be too old to start studying and start a new career. But she soon found herself being inspired by older women in Australia who had kids and were able to have a career of their own too.
Barsha enrolled in the CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education & Care course at Macquarie Community College. Since then, she has not looked back!
During her studies, she completed work placement organised by MCC. She impressed the Child Care Centre so much that they offered her a job even before she completed her studies. After being there for less than a year, Barsha was awarded the ‘Educator of the Year’ award. She feels proud of this achievement and can’t believe how lucky she is to have the flexibility of study and work, as well as use her passion for working with children in her dream career.
Going the Extra Mile for our Students
Barsha says ‘Macquarie Community College is the best place if you want to study and make a career in Child Care. MCC supports women very well to build their careers.Child care is a huge industry where there’s lots of opportunities and they need more people. Now’s the best time to start – you’re never too old or young’.
Barsha is taking her own advice and is now furthering her studies by undertaking the CHC50121 Diploma in Early Childhood Education & Care. She is thankful for the support that her Child Care Trainer, Magda, provided in order to help her enrol into this next qualification. Magda came to her work placement to finalise observations and assessments so she was able to start the Diploma immediately.
She recalls some heartwarming experiences that Magda would always tell them in class. Now she laughs about it as she goes through the same experiences herself at work and can see all the training and study come to life in a practical way.
Start Your Own Career in Child Care
7 out of 8 of Barsha’s classmates were offered jobs during their work placement.Find out more about how you can start your career in Child Care by calling 1300 845 888 or visit www.macquarie.nsw.edu.au/childcare. You could be eligible for fee-free* training under JobTrainer.
* Eligibility criteria apply. Training under JobTrainer is fee-free and fully funded by the NSW and Commonwealth Governments.
^ Names have been changed due to privacy.