14 January 2019

Taking a massive leap from taekwondo to Audiometry ticked all boxes for Pakenham-based Jaeyong Jeon, who had always dreamed of making a positive difference to the health and well-being of people.

According to Australia’s largest education provider, TAFE NSW, demand for Healthcare services is on the rise, driven by the national growing and ageing population. Healthcare is the biggest employing industry in NSW, with a workforce of over 503,500 people with employment in this sector forecast to increase by 9.7% through to 2020. Add to this the staggering prevalence of hearing loss, in the better ear, estimated to be 3.6 million people in Australia in 2017 and expected to more than double to 7.8 million by 2060, with almost half (49%) of childhood hearing loss being preventable, as is over a third (37%) of adult hearing loss.

Mr Jeon, a TAFE NSW Diploma of Audiometry graduate said, “Since moving to Australia from Korea I had always wanted a meaningful career, but was hesitant to take up studies because English is my second language and I wasn’t clear on which career direction I wanted to take.”

He spoke to one of his taekwondo students, an Audiologist at HearClear Hearing Solutions, who suggested he might want to become an Audiometrist and arranged a free hearing screening for him at the clinic to demonstrate what the work would entail. “I have always had a passion to help people in need to better their lives, so audiometry ticked all the boxes for me in realising my career aspirations,” said Mr Jeon.

Studying online with TAFE Digital was a natural choice for Mr Jeon, as he needed to allocate dedicated time at all hours around a busy work schedule. “I was impressed with the online course material, video tutorials and easy access to teachers who were quick in responding to my queries with detailed answers, which were illustrated with 3D examples of intricate ear structures, when appropriate. It was also a real pleasure monitoring my progress on the digital dashboards, with the blue and red bars changing to green when I successfully completed tasks and assessments.”

To obtain an Audiometry Qualified Practitioner number, Mr Jeon has now embarked on a six-month internship at HearClear Hearing Solutions and is pleased to put theory into practice, especially related to consulting with clients to provide detailed hearing assessments and dispensing the correct hearing devices.

“It’s heart-warming to see the broad smile on patients’ faces, no matter what age they are, when they can hear with more clarity – the correct devices have an immediate positive impact on their hearing abilities,” enthused Mr Jeon.

TAFE Digital Audiometry Teacher, Janette Brazel, who holds a Master’s Degree in Audiology said, “Jaeyong has worked very hard throughout his audiometry studies to not only complete his work to a very high standard, but to also improve his English skills. He completed the Diploma of Audiometry three months ahead of schedule and we are very proud of his achievements and employment outcome.”

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