Congratulations to Ebony for being recognised as a person who will contribute to the education of our young people as she maps her pathway through her future role as a Support Officer. Ebony has been recommended for an Award through the Training and Skills Commission. She was one of many young people who were nominated for the Award and has been shortlisted as a finalist. As Vocational Student of the Year Finalist, she has been recognised for her keen desire to support children through her career as a School Support Officer.

Below is the statement written in the Award site, which clearly describes her work at Woodend Primary School with our students.

Well done Ebony.

 

Vocational Student of the Year

Ebony Springall

Certificate III and IV in Education Support

Trained by: Fast Track Training Australia

Employed by: Woodend Primary School

Nothing inspires a child more than an educator who is passionate about learning themselves, something Ebony Springall is testament to.

After months spent assisting her son’s reception class with its morning reading activities, Ebony swiftly realised the ritual had become her favourite part of the day, and her future career path was set.

“Reading with some of the children who struggled with learning difficulties made me want to be able to do something to help, to be able to empower them to succeed and to give them much needed confidence,” says Ebony. “I wanted to do something with my career that could benefit these children and make a difference in their lives, and I also wanted to be able to support the teachers to work with students who need extra support due to disabilities, learning or behavioural difficulties.”

With encouragement from friends and family, Ebony began to research the Vocational Education and Training (VET) required to become a school services officer, enrolling with Fast Track Training Australia to study a combined Certificate III and IV in Education Support.

After completing her course and applying to local schools in her area, Ebony – the first member of her family to achieve a nationally recognised qualification – received multiple job offers, commencing her role with Woodend Primary School within a few weeks.

“Online learning suited my life and allowed me to work and still spend time with my kids, while studying at a pace that worked for me,” she says. “I chose to study with Fast Track Training Australia because the combined course allowed me to be time effective with my study, and having a Certificate IV gave me a point of difference over the majority of other school services officers.”

VET studies equipped Ebony to hit the ground running in her new role and to immediately demonstrate the knowledge and skills she had acquired through her training. Within weeks, she was offered a full-time year-long contract.

“I enjoyed the challenge of VET and put everything into it. It set me up so well for the day to day experiences I have in my job – especially in the areas of behaviour, disability, literacy and numeracy strategies,” says Ebony. “I’ve already made huge leaps with students who’ve shown remarkable improvement in behaviour or language.”

Having found her passion through her education and training, Ebony now takes every available opportunity to spread the story of her success and encourage others to take their futures into their own hands, find their passion and make it happen.

“It would never have happened for me if I hadn’t taken the leap to upskill myself through training, and I will forever be grateful that I did,” she says.

“I look forward to where this career could take me and aspire to be able to help the new generation of students to be the best they can be with all the support they need to achieve.”