8 March 2022

A Nowra dad who came to Australia from Pakistan five years ago has credited TAFE NSW with giving him the skills – and confidence – to forge a new life.

Muhammad Nasir, 41, arrived in Australia with two Masters degrees but soon discovered landing a job in his chosen fields – aquaculture and zoology – was more challenging than expected.

After more than 50 failed job applications, he resorted to cleaning jobs and delivering food, turning to TAFE NSW in early 2021 to gain the foundational business skills to help find a new position.

Weeks before completing his Certificate IV in Business Administration, Mr Nasir secured a job as a lab technician at the Manildra Group.

“I couldn’t have done this without TAFE NSW and the things I learned in my course, like Microsoft Word and Excel, have been very helpful in my job,” Mr Nasir said.

“It also helped me understand WHS requirements and navigate some of the other systems at work.”

Mr Nasir now plans to pursue further study in a food-related field to continue his ascent up the jobs ladder.

According to the Labour Market Information Portal, business administration roles are expected to grow by more than 12 per cent nationally in the next five years.

TAFE NSW Nowra Business Administration teacher Lynsay McNiven said Mr Nassir was a shining example of the foundational skills a TAFE NSW business administration qualification can provide.

“The skills you learn in a TAFE NSW business administration course are transferrable to so many industries,” Ms McNiven said.

“Business administration these days isn’t just about office skills, it’s about things like leadership, emotional intelligence and public speaking. It’s wonderful to see Mohammad use those skills to branch out in his career.”

Ms McNiven said she worked intensively one-on-one with Mr Nasir to support his learning and the language challenges he encountered.

If you’d like to learn more about studying at TAFE NSW Nowra, call 13 16 01 or visit www.tafensw.edu.au

Media contact: Dan Johns, TAFE NSW Communications Specialist, mobile 0477 722 428