Leah-Rose’s journey in youth work

“I’ve always had a passion to work with others in need, and as I've gotten older, I've noticed that the need for helping troubled youth has grown too,” Leah-Rose began.

“I want to be able to support them, grow their vision, and also help them to grow into the best version of themselves,” she said. 

Leah-Rose moved from New South Wales to Queensland in 2019 with her family, and while Leah-Rose is the first person in her immediate family to study with TAFE Queensland, she is enjoying the course content.

TAFE Queensland’s Certificate IV in Youth Work (CHC40421) is designed to prepare students for a rewarding career working with young people in various community settings.

“I've actually really enjoyed learning how to help troubled youth work through their struggles to become a better person,” Leah-Rose shared.

“I've also really enjoyed doing the mental health side of things – I've been able to relate in many ways. Mental health is such a big issue in our youth community,” she said.

Leah-Rose is eligible to complete the Certificate IV in Youth Work (CHC40421) with the help of Fee-Free TAFE funding.

Fee-Free TAFE funding is part of the Queensland Government's Good People. Good jobs: Queensland Workforce Strategy 2022–2032. It aims to connect, educate and attract the people needed to meet the state's workforce demand in existing and new industry sectors to support continued economic growth.

At the Springfield campus Leah-Rose completes her course one day per week and goes on-campus for additional days to access learning support, which she speaks very highly of.

“I know that they – the learning support staff – are committed to each and every student, their abilities, and meeting their needs so that they can learn in a way best suitable for them,” Leah-Rose shared.

“I honestly would not have been able to get through without three amazing team members in the student support team that I have met doing this course. I would highly recommend tapping into help from a support coach, because of how much they have helped me.”

Leah-Rose’s support coach, Lisa Adams, provides assistance to her through individualised sessions, which include assessment tutorial support, Connect and computer support, proof reading, and the provision of printed learning materials.

Leah-Rose debriefs with Lisa when the course becomes overwhelming and stressful. For Leah-Rose, talking things through has helped her to manage her workload, which in turn gives her confidence with her studies.

Leah-Rose advises other who may be feeling uncertain while studying at TAFE Queensland or are about to start, to seek a professional opinion.

“My advice to others would be, if you're unsure while studying at TAFE Queensland, or are about to study at TAFE, speak to people who are in the careers you want to pursue, or speak to the career counsellors at TAFE Queensland, because they know their stuff.”

“And never be afraid to ask for additional support because they truly live up to their high standard of training,” Leah-Rose advised. 

Leah-Rose is set to graduate from her course in mid-2025 and has already planned on what she’ll do next.

“I actually want to come back and do further study. Once I finish doing youth work – I want to come back and look at doing something around mental health counselling, to get into a further field, to be able to provide the best for the next generation,” Leah-Rose said.

“Here, the teachers, my learning support person Lisa and the student services team – I feel like my voice is heard … and that's amazing,” finished Leah-Rose.