8 July, 2019

Levi Jackson, a TAFE NSW graduate, is jubilant that the new customer service and logistics systems implemented at Honey Australia are improving sales and streamlining production cycles, with manufacturing levels increasing from 350 tonnes to 400 tonnes in the last 12 months.

This is over and above an exponential 150 tonnes increase over the last two years, due to upgraded machinery and investment in brand awareness initiatives.

Mudgee local Mr Jackson said: “Honey Australia started off as a small family business, which has grown into a professionally run, sustainable company and has given me a chance to see the business evolve organically.”

Mr Jackson chose to study a Certificate IV in Business with TAFE Digital after in-depth research.

“My current role as supply chain manager at Honey Australia means I track production levels from harvesting and quality control right through to automated bottling and delivery, while listening carefully to customers’ feedback and requirements.”

Training has played an important role in Mr Jackson’s career.

“I have always had a great deal of ambition in the workplace and am very fortunate that Honey Australia has instituted a program for staff to further their skills via external training,” he said.

“I loved that the course gave me an overview of so many different roles in the business and how efficiencies could be increased by aligning our functions and working together collaboratively.”

Mr Jackson particularly enjoyed the training and development; work health and safety procedures and ‘promoting innovation in a team environment’ modules, which he has been able to incorporate into the business.

“While I was studying, I used the knowledge and resources to develop a training and induction program for our new employees. It is now used as an integral part of our processes,” he said.

According to Mr Jackson, honey manufacturing and the export industry are similar to many other primary industry sectors where listening to customers’ feedback and using tools to analyse their requirements are critical.

“I continually conduct market research and have developed a new customer service system,” he said. “Providing excellent customer service levels while being cost-effective and price-conscious is the lifeblood of our organisation, to compete in a highly competitive global environment.”

Studying online with TAFE Digital meant Mr Jackson could juggle a hectic work, study and healthy lifestyle schedule. “Apart from the great support network the teachers offered, I loved the calendar section. We had an extremely busy year at Honey Australia, so the option to move my assignments around was fantastic. I was even able to schedule in an overseas holiday and at times completed assignments while still in bed!”

The next career step on Mr Jackson’s agenda is to become an account manager at Honey Australia, which will entail a lot of travel locally and abroad to meet with stakeholders.

To view TAFE Digital’s hundreds of online courses, please visit https://www.tafensw.edu.au/digital

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