Pallavi’s Success Story: 

We asked our graduates what they liked most about Celtic Training. Almost half of the respondents said the trainers. Every time we look over student feedback, it’s almost guaranteed that someone wrote about how their trainer got them through the course. There’s something special about CT’s trainers, and we want to honour them by sharing their stories. 

So how did your journey with Celtic Training Start? 

Joining Celtic was a big stepping stone for me to establish myself in Australia. I have a bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering and worked as a lecturer in the subject. It was difficult to immediately find work as a lecturer in Australia, so I explored my options. A close friend of mine was working in the health sector and had studied at Celtic Training. She told me about the course. So, I began my journey here. 

The time I spent studying at the Celtic institute was probably one of the best times for me in Australia. At first, it was hard to understand the Australian accent. Luckily, Steve was my lecturer and congratulated me on my assignments, which encouraged me and built my confidence. I don’t think confidence is something you are born with. It’s something I had to teach myself over the years. That was when I started becoming more confident. 

Did you have a particular job in mind when you joined the course? 

One of my close friends studied at Celtic Training and we met up almost every day. One day, she said, ‘Why don’t you do the Certificate III? You were a lecturer as well and there are better opportunities to switch your career.’ 

That’s why I studied the course, which I finished in December 2020. I wasn’t sure about teaching a care role since I had been teaching engineering before this. But, I kept going because I wanted to finish off the course. When I graduated and did my placement, Steve offered me a job as an administrator at the institute. 

You mentioned that you had a story about your interview day? 

Yes. I was doing disability placement and the placement organiser came to the facility to check up on everyone. 

The organiser said to me: ‘Pallavi you’ve got an interview now.’ 

I said: ‘I know, I received a phone call about it yesterday, but do I need to go now?’ 

And she said ‘Pallavi you have an interview with the CEO.’ 

I was shocked. I asked, ‘Are you serious?’ 

And she said ‘Yeah I’m serious. You’ll have to go with me now.’ 

I went and had an interview with the CEO while still in my student dress. Soon, I got a call asking if you could start next week. I accepted. Working with Celtic was similar to my previous role as a lecturer and I wanted to work in an education organisation. 

So how did you move into teaching at Celtic Training? 

One day, I said ‘I want to go further, I want to teach the course. I’ve seen Steve and Pam showing their skills and what they’ve learnt. Well, I want to show my own skills and what I’ve learnt.’ 

And they said ‘yeah, go for it’. 

So, while I was in my admin role, I studied a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, which I finished over three months in 2020. Straight after finishing it, Celtic Training gave me the opportunity to become a trainer. 

At first, teaching was challenging because I felt I had to prove myself more since the teaching role was very different to the admin role. In a week, I got the student reviews and my confidence levels went up. When I finished my first class, I decided I would also teach the Certificate IV in Disability classes because I learned that a position for that role had recently opened up.  

So, I asked Kat, ‘Because I know all about the subjects here, maybe I could teach Certificate IV in Disability too?’ 

And she said, ‘Are you sure you will be able to handle all these things under pressure?’ 

And I said, ‘Yeah I’ll be fine with that.’ 

While I was teaching, I was also helping the new admin person when they needed help. I love to work too. I bring in reports and tasks on time. I make sure I don’t miss anything, which might be why the team at Celtic Training trusted me and gave me a job. 

By helping students and teaching, I’m doing what I’ve always wanted to do. 

That’s great to hear. In addition to teaching, what else do you enjoy doing? 

I also love dancing because, when I was a lecturer in India, I was also trained in my culture’s dance. I also enjoy cooking. If I’m tired, I like to make different types of food for the family. 

Do you have plans to continue teaching in the future? 

As of now, I love teaching and will keep doing it. But I also want to learn more about management skills. I don’t want to be in a full manager role, but I want to learn the skills up to a management level so I can teach others. Maybe I could be the trainer for people who will be training the course. 

What do you like about the Certificate III in Individual Support and the Certificate IV in Disability? 

In aged care, I like to do the personal work role, like washing and bed making for the elderly. I enjoy it because, when I did the placement, I was able to do the tasks quite quickly. 

In disability, I have experience with Angelman syndrome, where we work with kids who can’t speak, so we use sign language. Sign language is the most important thing for these kids. 

In these fields, you have to be focused, caring, and empowered with a good education. That’s why I chose disability to improve myself and others. Then, I can show others my experience and the techniques I used in aged and disability care, which is what I teach today.