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2024 Graduate Erdene-Od Reflects on His Experience at TAFE

What campus are you located at and what course are you studying?

I have studied BSB40120 Certificate IV in Business and BSB50120 Diploma of Business at South Metropolitan TAFE’s Bentley campus.

Why did you choose to study at TAFE International WA?

When I was looking for colleges in Perth, my high school friend who lives in Perth told me that TAFE is more popular and has a good reputation from employers, and the local students prefer TAFE over private colleges too. That is why I ended up choosing TAFE.

You are about to graduate, and you will be speaking on stage. How do you feel about sharing your story with your classmates?

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Erdene-Od, an international student from Mongolia is standing on stage looking towards an audience that is not featured in the photo. He stands on a podium, speaking into a microphone.

Of course, I feel great about sharing my experience and thoughts with other international students. Also, it is a big chance to represent my home country. During graduation I hope I will meet a lot of other interesting international students who have really different experiences and stories.

What were the best things about your course?

I was unsure what to expect with the course. I didn’t have much prior experience with business. However, after completing the course, I am very knowledgeable. Interestingly, I found out that the most important resources for a business are the employees. 
Learning how to manage effectively the most expensive resource was the best thing about my course.

How do you plan to use this qualification for your future career?

My future career will be in my home country where I can offer the unique skills and knowledge that I’ve learnt from TAFE. Most of the employers in Mongolia are not aware of how vital it is keeping the workforce healthy mentally and physically. So, I’m looking forward to sharing this knowledge in Mongolia.

How have you found the facilities on your campus?

I found that TAFE’s big difference and advantage over competitors is the practical workplace related assessments and tasks. This greatly helps students learn, giving us confidence to be able to apply this in the workplace.

Lecturers are so down to earth and knowledgeable in their areas. The classrooms are fully equipped too so that students can get their assessments done with ease.

How does life in Australia compare to home?

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Erdene-Od, an international student from Mongolia stands towards the camera smiling. In his left hand is his graduation certificate. His right hand is giving a thumbs up. He is wearing a white business shirt. He has black hair and brown eyes. In the background is a crowd of people sitting down in seats, facing in the other direction towards a stage. This photo was taken at the TIWA graduation for semester 1, 2024.

I have been living in Perth for a year. In Australia life is more comfortable. You can create a healthy lifestyle that is less stressful and more relaxing, especially in Perth compared to Mongolia.

Although Perth is relaxed, I’m still able to find challenges and put myself outside of my comfort zone.  For example, I have been playing volleyball in the Division 1 team at Murdoch. And I’ve also been coaching a high school team.

I found that the people in Australia are very diverse. People have different backgrounds and ethnicities, which is great because it is so interesting to talk to diverse people to find out their own perspective on life.

What are you doing for work?

I have been working at the Korean Restaurant for almost 11 months now. The bosses at the restaurant have the same experience and thoughts as my home country’s employers, which has made it easy to adapt to the job.

I have been trying to implement the skills that I learned from TAFE and applying them to this job. Specifically, about managing the business and staff at my workplace.

At first, the job was quite tough but as time goes by my colleagues and bosses have been very understanding of me.

Do you have any advice for future students considering studying at TAFE in WA?

I definitely recommend to future students to study at TAFE.

My course will greatly help my career. In my home country, the employees that have qualifications from overseas are more likely to get promoted to higher levels. TAFE is a good option for international students because it is more affordable.

Last updated on September 25, 2024