A group of local TAFE NSW events students have been given some “enlightening” hands-on experience at one of Lismore’s most iconic festivals.

TAFE NSW students from Lismore, Wollongbar and Casino worked over the weekend at Lismore Lantern Parade, facilitating the logistics of a busking competition, ensuring students gain crucial exposure to the industry.

With 25,000 new job openings in the event industry over a five year period and 70%[1] of job postings asking for a certificate level qualification[2], now is the time to get qualified.

Andrew Habner, Teacher for Tourism, Events, Cookery and Hospitality at TAFE NSW said: “We are giving students access and exposure to actual real life events. This is the first time TAFE NSW has controlled a whole element of the Lismore Lantern Parade – being the busking competition – so students were over the moon to see their hard work come to life.

“Students have come out of this with hands-on experience and industry contacts. At TAFE NSW we ensure students have career paths directly into the industries, whether they have studied at one of our TAFE NSW locations or through TAFE Digital.”

17-year-old Corey Webber, who is studying a Certificate III in Events at TAFE NSW Lismore, was one of the students working on the organisation of the busking competition at the Lismore Lantern parade.

Choosing to undertake further education through TAFE NSW after finishing school, Corey says he learned better in a practical environment and his teacher Mr Habner explained things to each individual student in a way which they understood.

Hoping to have a career in the music industry, Corey wants to get experience at events so he understoods the logistics of how festivals and major events run. Corey had the opportunity to work on the marketing, registrations, scheduling and day of running of the event which he said “was great fun and great experience”.

“TAFE NSW teachers have been really good at assisting students to get work experience whenever they can and we often get to work on actual events like this and Bluesfest earlier in the year. They have a lot of contacts which helps with getting practical experience,” he said.

TAFE NSW has a wide range of life-changing courses, from certificates to degrees, that the Northern Rivers community can explore by visiting the TAFE NSW InfoFest between 24 and 28 June 2019 or attending online information sessions at www.tafensw.edu.au.

For more detail on TAFE NSW courses, face-to-face or online, visit www.tafensw.com.au or call 131 601.

Media contact: Sarah Lievore, TAFE NSW Media Officer, sarah.lievore1@tafensw.edu.au