You have the right to remain qualified. Anything you say or do can be used to support you by the Trade Institute of Victoria. You have the right to have an employer present before, during and after the qualification. You have the right, if you cannot afford the services of the course, to Victorian State Government funding, to assist you during and after the Trade Institute of Victoria’s Certificate III in Carpentry program.
For most of us, the commonly heard above mentioned “Miranda Rights” (slightly adjusted for this purpose of this article) are thankfully something we only ever see in Hollywood films or read in fictional novels.
Not so however, for recent TIV Carpentry graduate Jakub Kucera.
A highly successful member of the Victorian Police force for eleven years and devoted husband and father of two, Jakub has read his fair share of rights to people over an extended period of time.
Approachable, friendly and particularly intuitive, Jakub Kucera simply didn’t need to make a change.
But despite his relative comfort on the outside, something within Jakub was clearly still amiss, and like a moth to a naked flame his passion for Carpentry and desire to have a trade among his impressive list of credentials ultimately lead him to the Trade Institute of Victoria’s highly regarded Certificate III in Carpentry course.
“Carpentry is something I’ve always been really interested in,” Jakub says.
“My family moved to Australia from the Czech Republic when I was young, and I always wanted to have a Trade behind me – even in my teenage years – but because we moved from another Country I was never allowed,” Jakub adds.
Seemingly unperturbed by these initial setbacks, Jakub would pursue a successful career with the Victorian Police force, all the while keeping his interest and passion for Carpentry burning quietly yet brightly in the background.
“I’ve always enjoyed my Carpentry – I did my pre-apprenticeship about eight years ago and worked with a number of builders while I was working in the Police force.”
“I always said to myself that if I ever leave the Police force I want to have a trade to jump into,” he adds.
They are courageous words from a good honest family man with a well-paid job and a carefully planned future, but plans can change when happiness is compromised and families are unintentionally neglected.
“I was on great money working in the Police force and didn’t have a drama in the world, but I wasn’t happy in my job, I was missing out on quality time with my family and just felt like I needed a change,” Jakub says.
“Making the switch to Carpentry where I could have my weekends back and spend a lot more time with my family was clearly the most significant reason for the change,” he adds.
As a result, Jakub Kucera would throw caution to the wind and make the bold decision to leave the Victorian Police force in favour of a Carpentry education and qualification at the Trade Institute of Victoria.
He was an exemplary student throughout the Certificate III in Carpentry program at TIV and was a member of the most recent Carpentry class to graduate, and is now working as a successful sub-contractor full-time and building houses for a major volume builder.
“TIV was the only place I could find that offered a recognised and reputable Carpentry program that didn’t require me to do a Pre-apprenticeship,” Jakub says.
“The whole TIV experience was fantastic – you go through every aspect of Carpentry in a professional but relaxed environment where everyone gets along, and overall it was just a great experience for me.”
It is good people like Jakub Kucera who make TIV’s Carpentry program what it is today – an incredibly professional, reliable course structure that is one of the very few Carpentry programs in Victoria that is endorsed and subsidised by the Victorian State Government in 2017.
For Jakub, the motivation and desire was refreshingly simple.
“At the end of the day if you have a passion in life you want to pursue, the only thing to do is just get out there and do it.”
“I did it – and I haven’t looked back ever since.”
He is quick to praise TIV in the process and looks forward to what lies ahead in this exciting new chapter of his life.
“TIV is a fantastic place to learn, and if there is a dream out there that you want to follow in the trade industry then TIV is the place to go.” Jakub says.
“Eventually I want to get back to TIV, obtain my builders license and ultimately design and build my own home.”
Author: Aaron Lord
