14 August, 2019

From the intense glare of international cricket stardom to a TAFE NSW classroom in country NSW, Daryl Tuffey’s career has taken on a whole new “spin”.

And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

The former New Zealand cricketer, who represented his country in all three forms of the game, was confronted by the same stark post-career question as all professional sportspeople – what’s next?

For Mr Tuffey, 40, it meant pursuing his passion for construction, and with the help of TAFE NSW and his employer Jimmy Waters Carpentry, he’s now a first-year apprentice enrolled in a Certificate III in Carpentry at TAFE NSW Albury.

Each week, he learns the theory and hands-on skills of his trade at TAFE NSW surrounded by teenage classmates, many who are too young to remember Mr Tuffey’s glory days on the pitch.

“I’ve always loved building, even as a kid with LEGO, and when I was transitioning out of cricket, we were doing a lot of renovations on our own home,” Mr Tuffey said. “I knew I still had a lot of time left in the workforce and construction felt like such a natural fit.

“I’m learning tonnes at TAFE NSW and it’s just brilliant. I might be a 40-year-old surrounded by 17 and 18 year olds but I love being back in the classroom and I love bouncing off classmates and seeing how they would do a project differently.

“The teachers are extremely helpful and they really seem to care.”

Upon earning his qualifications, Mr Tuffey plans to make his life partner his business partner, with he and his interior designer wife Dearne teaming to form a holistic construction and design business in Albury.

TAFE NSW Head Teacher of Construction Andrew Nichols said Mr Tuffey should be an inspiration to others contemplating a mid-life career change.

“Older apprentices like Daryl are here to learn and they tend to have such a strong drive to succeed,” Mr Nichols said.

“There are plenty of construction jobs around so it’s a great industry to enter into.”

According to the recent TAFE NSW Jobs of the Future report, project builder is forecast to be one of the top five jobs growth areas in the Murray between now and 2023.

To find out more about studying construction at TAFE NSW Albury, phone 13 16 01 or visit www.tafensw.edu.au.

Media contact: Daniel Johns, TAFE NSW Media and Communications – Business Partner, 6938 1441, mobile 0477 722 428.