Many career opportunities in meat processing steer Scott to teaching

Scott Clarke is an Ipswich-based meat processing teacher who was recognised for his standout skills on the job, and is now sharing them with the next generation of workers through TAFE Queensland.

“I was working in the meat processing industry and the plant where I was based had two TAFE Queensland teachers onsite. When a teaching job became available, they approached me and said ‘There's a job going at TAFE Queensland. We think you'd be great for it. Are you interested?’” began Scott.

“It was a bit of a shock at first because I didn't see myself as a teacher, so I had never thought about it as a career path. It took me quite a while to come around and I had a good think about it, but I’m really glad I did.”

“I think they recognised that I was reliable, self-motivated, had good attention to detail and had a good demeanour, which enables me to build a good relationship with the people I teach.”

Since making the decision to switch to teaching six years ago, Scott teaches Certificates III in Meat Processing (Meat Safety) (AMP30322), Certificate IV in Meat Processing (Meat Safety) (AMP40522), and an Animal Welfare Officer Skill Set with employees in processing plants.

“Most of my teaching is done at a student’s workplace, and interestingly, during COVID-19 times we had students wearing hands-free headsets so I could remotely see, guide and assess what they were doing, in real-time,” Scott said.  

Scott originally started in the industry when he was uncertain of what to do next after completing Year 12.

“I joined the meat industry straight out of high school. I was looking for a job, not so much a career, but a job, and one of my mates worked at the processing plant and he said ‘Come and work here. It's great money. It's a great place to work.’”, began Scott. 

“So I gave it a go and then spent close to 17 years working in the processing plant doing a huge range of different jobs.” 

“For the first few years I kept trying to think of a career that I could do — always looking outside of the meat industry.”

“I didn't realise that there were so many different career options within the meat industry. Prior to becoming a teacher, I was a slaughterman, a meat inspector, an onsite tutor for new employees, and then a quality assurance supervisor,” Scott shared. 

Now as a TAFE Queensland teacher, Scott enjoys building career opportunities for his students and developing a skilled workforce for Queensland’s meat processing industry.

“These days, teaching at TAFE Queensland, through mixed mode — theory via Zoom and onsite workplace observations, I feel very lucky. I love the feeling when I help someone,” he said.

“We get a lot of people where English can be their second language, or, they’ve left school early and then we’ve been able to work with them and support them through a Certificate III level course,” Scott said.

“The appreciation from these students gives you that nice, warm feeling inside. It feels a little bit selfish that I get to work at TAFE Queensland and be able to, and love, helping these students out,” shared Scott.

Scott has some wise advice for those contemplating joining the meat processing industry.

“Everyone thinks it's just cutting meat and putting it into a box. There’s so much more to it. Have a go. You don't need any skills. You're trained on the job for everything,” said Scott.

“Some parts of the meat industry aren't for everybody, so if you're not good at one thing, don't freak out. There are lots of other areas to go into, whether you're great with a knife and you can work in the boning room or work in the lab. There are also jobs in the office doing internal auditing and quality assurance. A huge range, I would say.”

“Also, ask lots of questions when you first start and have a go. Australians love meat — there are meatworks all around Australia and the skills transfer over multiple plants so you can live anywhere too,” finished Scott.