From fast food to fast learning and ‘top notch’

Tim came to TAFE through a job service agency and a scholarship with the Caroline Chisholm Education Fund. 

His primary goal was to obtain skills to find a job. However, he’s found a lot more since embarking on a tailor-made course from Chisholm. Tim has found a place where he can better his life and the life of those around him, through the skills he’s learning in the kitchen. He’s finding a growing sense of confidence that’s putting a smile on his mum’s face through his culinary creations. 

‘Mum has been ill for some time and her diet consists of pre-made food. While meals-on-wheels is a good thing, mum really likes it when I cook my pasta dishes for dinner. I want to learn to cook, so that I can get a job in the kitchen, but also so that I can educate mum and teach her how to cook, so that  she can  eat something different from time to time.’

‘Right now, I’m learning how to cook ‘proper food.’ I’m learning how to plan and prepare meals as well as techniques. I’m learning what food will be good for mum’s sugar levels so we can make better choices.’

Getting started hasn’t been easy, and Tim’s learning has been tailored to his learning preferences: ‘I find when I see a demonstration, I understand what to do, more than just being told.’

And with his new found purpose, Tim has his sights set on an educational pathway from Certificate II to Certificate III in Commercial Cookery, knowledge to nourish mum, and a desire to work in a kitchen. ‘I really want to get a job at the end of my Certificate III in Commercial Cookery.’