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Studying at university locally ‘a great opportunity’, say students July 08, 2004 Deanne Forbutt and Philip Lang had already completed TAFE NSW Diplomas in the IT area, and were grateful for the opportunity to study for a degree without having to leave the area. Deanne said that the work content was challenging. “There’s a 10-fold increase in skill level doing the degree, and the standard … is much higher” She also said that the students had greater commitment, and very serious about what they were doing. Deanne was also keen on the smaller class size and the greater one-on-one teaching that happened as a result. Philip said “You need to have a degree to get to where I want to go in IT and the skills that I’m gaining in the degree will qualify me for wider areas in the industry. The study has been high paced from day one, but I kind of expected it.” Phillip also added that he had researched all of the IT degrees around, and the University of Newcastle degree was one of the best in his view. “So the opportunity to do it here in Port Macquarie is phenomenal,” Phillip said. Similar views were expressed by Bachelor of Nursing students Loreena Walsh and Phillip Walls. Married with four children, Phillip is currently working as an Enrolled Nurse, having recently completed his one year traineeship at the Port Macquarie Base Hospital. “Dropping work and going to uni full-time was not an option for me,” Phillip said. “Being able to do this degree part-time was a great result”. Phillip said that for anyone thinking of doing the same thing “it’s the best opportunity for people who live in Port Macquarie, because having to leave home to go to uni adds a huge pressure.” He found the routine of study harder to get back into than he expected but all it took was a bit of commitment and a lot of planning. Loreena had completed her Diploma of Marketing at TAFE NSW in 2000, and had worked in Retail Management, but “had always wanted to do nursing”. Balancing a one-year-old with study and domestic chores was a challenge, Loreena said. “It’s hard to juggle, because it’s more intensive in content than I expected. I knew it’d be hard work….and I’m really enjoying it, especially the biological side. But as much as its hard, it’s really worth it.” Both Loreena and Phillip particularly enjoyed the close-knit nature of their group. Knowledge is openly shared and since some of the other students were also already nursing, there was a great deal of mentoring. All four students said the same thing when asked what they’d say to someone thinking of doing the same thing. “Do it, go for it!” was the common response. “You’d be mad if you didn’t take the opportunity” said Phillip Lang. For more information about the degree programs available for 2005 at the TAFE NSW - North Coast Institute Port Macquarie Tertiary Campus, please contact: Pat Chipchase, Project Coordinator, Port Macquarie Tertiary
Campus. For photographs of the quoted students contact Neil Brown neil.brown@tafensw.edu.au
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