How the COVID Pandemic Led John Ioculano Back to School

2020 was a tough year for many people. But for John Ioculano, an out of the blue phone call from a training organisation changed the course of his life.

Unemployed and wondering how he would manage through the pandemic, he received a call telling him about government funded courses being run by Trade Institute of Victoria (TIV).  John had nothing to lose and the government funding meant pressure off his pocket. So he enrolled in the CPC40120 – Certificate IV in Building and Construction , as well as the CPC50220 – Diploma of Building and Construction (Building).

Background

John already had a Certificate III in Landscaping from another institution and had always been interested in the building industry. He explains how building is in his blood, saying, “My father was a builder. When he came from Europe, he landed here and became a bricklayer and then got his builder’s licence and built many homes. Unfortunately, I didn’t take after him because he didn’t want me to due to the recession back in 1989, otherwise I would have been in the same boat. But I’ve always loved the industry.”

Back to the Classroom

Heading back to the classroom, especially a virtual one, was a daunting task. John explains, “I found it sometimes a little bit confusing and disturbing because you have people jumping in and out of class and putting their two bobs in. It’s not like a classroom where you put your hand up old-school style.”

But John has nothing but praise for TIV and its trainers who were also learning as they went in terms of running a virtual classroom. He says, “I have to give credit to the guys at TIV who put it all together. We were the first class apparently. There were a few glitches but you have to expect that with technology. But they handled it and everyone was really satisfied with everything they did.

TIV Trainers Head and Shoulders Above the Pack

Having had experience with another training school, John can confidently say that TIV trainers stand out for their dedication. While trainers at his other school were knowledgeable and ran the course well, TIV trainers like Peter G and Bill Spencer went above and beyond to help him get his qualifications.

John says, “The guys at TIV went way beyond (with their help). Even if it was late at night, they would arrange calls and be willing to give advice and help. That to me shows they are dedicated to what they’re doing which you don’t normally see.”

The way the courses were scheduled also meant that John did the more difficult CPC50220 – Diploma of Building and Construction (Building) before the CPC40120 – Certificate IV in Building and Construction. Having trainer Peter take the extra time to show him how to look things up and be prepared for classes was a huge help.

“They even had other sheets of information which we didn’t have that they were willing to forward on to us just to keep for our own references and you don’t normally get that from a teacher,” says John. “The best sort of advertising is word of mouth and those guys promote that in a sense by going above and beyond what anyone would expect from anyone teaching in a course.”

John’s Future

John loved studying with TIV so much that he went on to also complete his CPC40508 – Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Site Management) and his CPC40308 – Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Estimating). He’s also hoping that TIV introduce an Advanced Diploma in Building and Construction as that’s something he would love to study.

In the meantime, John keeps busy doing the odd contract work while he looks for a full time job as a site supervisor in the industry. With the support of TIV’s trainers and the knowledge he has gained from his study, he’s enthusiastic about the new direction his career has taken.

If you’re looking to increase your qualifications or are looking for work, TIV courses may be a great way to increase your employment opportunities. Please get in touch to learn more about the courses we offer.