29 October 2019

With a view to helping other migrants living on the Northern Beaches, Lily de Azevedo, does volunteer work at Beacon Foundation to support young people successfully transition to meaningful employment or further education.

“Since embarking on my English studies, I am able to confidently mentor four multi-cultural young people – Lebanese, Syrian and Australian - regarding their skills, use of technology, individual passions and how to develop effective, healthy relationships,” she said.

This is over and above her full-time job as an employment consultant in the Disability section of Match Works, a not-for-profit organisation.

The Brazilian immigrant said, “I love that that I’m able to effectively empower, support and coach members of my community to find a meaningful and productive life by assisting them in dealing with their emotions, negative beliefs and physical limitations when returning to the workforce, often after severe setbacks.”

In terms of career, Ms de Azevedo wanted to improve her English quickly after arriving in Australia to find suitable employment. With access to a range of education options, she chose to study online with TAFE NSW as it has a well-respected reputation and delivers the Australian Government funded Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) Distance Learning nationally.

“I initially found it hard to understand English spoken by Australians and after some research, was delighted to enrol in a Certificate III in Spoken and Written English online with TAFE Digital,” she said.

“It was tremendous for me to fit classes into a busy work / home-life schedule in my new country when it suited me, with the added bonus of being able to interact with students in a similar situation to me all over Australia.”

Ms de Azevedo is inspired by the relationship she’s built with her TAFE Digital teacher, Lisbeth Reyment.

“We’ve developed a great camaraderie and communicate by phone, social media and email, in addition to the weekly lessons,” she said.

“She listens to my good and bad moments, motivates me and sometimes even counsels me when I become overwhelmed with the big, life-changing move I’ve made, all while improving my English language skills.”

Since becoming more confident with her communication abilities, Ms de Azevedo has become an accredited Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) practitioner and coach, and plans on studying a Diploma of Counselling.

To find out more about TAFE NSW AMEP Distance Learning, please visit https://www.tafensw.edu.au/amep or call 1300 362 418.

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