19 February 2020

TAFE NSW has helped Mitch Tarlinton take a career leap of faith, arming him with the skills to seamlessly switch from mining to construction – and reap the rewards of this booming industry after completing an Advanced Diploma of Building Surveying online.

Mr Tarlinton, an Erskineville man, had previously completed a Bachelor of Engineering (Mining) at university and worked within the mining and quarrying industries for two years.

“While I enjoyed the excitement that came with that role – supervising blast crews and overseeing dump trucks the size of a small home - the instability and career progression involving continuous relocation led me to begin seeking alternate career options within the construction industry,” Mr Tarlinton said.

Hence his leap of faith to become a building certifier and study Building Surveying online with TAFE Digital, after researching both the career and education requirements.

The Australian Government’s Job Outlook predicts continued high demand for qualified surveying technicians, with an estimated 22,000 job openings over the next five years, growing from 65,700 to 66,800 job openings by 2023. That’s about 4,400 a year.

Mr Tarlinton, said: “Starting with Buildcert four years ago was an exciting time to come on board as the company was rapidly growing.”

Buildcert is a progressive and innovative building certification, planning and development consultancy company, which is one of the leading service providers in NSW. Servicing a number of Australia’s largest and most well recognised building companies, Buildcert has seen significant growth, and is set to continue this growth trajectory for the foreseeable future.

This career change has certainly paid dividends, as Mr Tarlinton has subsequently assisted Buildcert in expanding into Sydney with offices in Baulkham Hills.

“My initial role required me to learn new skills quickly, spending a large amount of time on-site carrying out inspections of construction works and advising architects, builders and home owners on building compliance,” said Mr Tarlinton.

Since then, Mr Tarlinton has had many accomplishments and progressed to an A3 accredited certifier and manager of the Buildcert South residential certification team.

“My main responsibilities as a certifier include assessing and issuing building approvals which comply with Development and Construction Certificates, carrying out Principal Certifying Authority (PCA) inspections of building works during construction and issuing Occupation Certificates,” he said.

To add to his growing certification portfolio, Mr Tarlinton’s role also includes client and people management, implementing business strategies, developing procedures and training new team members.

“I have worked with our IT team on our proprietary technologies to improve efficiency, compliance and service to our clients,” he said.

Juggling work, study and keeping a healthy home-life balance has been an exciting journey in its own right for Mr Tarlinton.

“The TAFE Digital course appealed to me most as it satisfies the education requirements right up to an A2 Accredited Certifier level and allowed me to study at my own pace while working full-time,” he said.

“Although I needed to set aside occasional weekends for research and assignments, studying online was of huge benefit to me because I could apply my learnings at work as an A4 certifier, while passing well-rounded knowledge onto our clients.”

Visit www.tafensw.edu.au/digital to explore hundreds of online courses available for enrolment in 2020.

Media contact: Bonny Gunn, TAFE Digital Media and Communications Business Partner. M: 0417 134 048.