Meet Brittany – Business Administration student

When Brittany first holidayed in the Far North with her family during her final school years she fell in love with the region and hoped she’d end up living here one day.

Fortunately, her mum and stepdad were on the same page, which saw them move from Wollongong, on New South Wales’ coast, to settle in the tropics.

Brittany knew three things about her new home: be croc aware; snorkelling off the coastal islands was a must-do; and opt for the creeks and waterfalls in summer when the stingers are out.

Career wise, Brittany’s first port of call was enrolling in a Diploma of Higher Education; a necessary step to help her achieve her long-held dream of pursuing a profession in nursing. She enrolled in the diploma while working in hospitality part time.

“The course was great, but a career in higher education wasn’t something I wanted to pursue,” explained Brittany.

“While studying I started a job in admin because I wanted to move on from hospitality and I figured most industries need admin support,” explained Brittany.  

When Brittany saw an ad online encouraging applications for a Certificate III in Business Administration traineeship at Far North Training & Consultancy (FNTC) – a registered training organisation based in Mossman – the timing was perfect.

“My job in admin in Cairns was only part-time and I really wanted full-time work. Being able to earn an income and gain a qualification at the same time ticked a lot of boxes for me,” said Brittany.

“I’d also moved from Cairns to Wonga Beach with my partner, so the reduced travel time and expense of only having to commute to Mossman was an added bonus!”

One of the advantages of a traineeship is participants can learn skills on the job while acquiring a nationally recognised qualification and no existing qualifications are needed to start. Traineeships are available to participants of varying ages and experience so anyone can pursue their chosen career whether they’ve had years of work experience or are still in school.

Elizabeth Ross, CEO of Far North Training & Consultancy explains why she wanted to hire an apprentice.

“A lot of local businesses have seen the benefits of having a trainee. The flexibility of a traineeship program is ideal as they can structure it according to their own business needs and many trainees end up working for the businesses they’ve trained with on a long-term basis. For us, it’s been great having Brittany on board so we can look at how our business runs with fresh eyes,” explained Elizabeth.

Does Brittany feel she’s made the right move? While still set on nursing, Brittany knows she is gaining transferable skills that will help her shift to her chosen career with ease. Plus, she’s developing a solid foundation for further study.

“I am really enjoying working at FNTC. All the staff are helpful and supportive. I also like that I’m not treated like a number as you usually are in big businesses. Here at FNTC it’s more of an inclusive environment and I’m learning a lot along the way,” said Brittany.