Bright future ahead for Laverton student

World Youth Skills Day is observed every year on 15th July and focuses on the importance of equipping young people with skills for employment and entrepreneurship.

We recently chatted with one of our trainees, Year 12 student Krystal Thompson, who is currently studying a SIS30115 Certificate III in Sport and Recreation through Royal Life Saving WA.

Krystal is from Laverton, and works for her local government authority, the Shire of Laverton. She wanted to do something that would help with her role there and decided to undertake a traineeship to gain a qualification to complement her current industry.

School-based traineeships enable students to find their potential as they make decisions about their future, their studies and career paths. It allows them to commence in a workplace while still at school, gaining valuable experience and on-the-job training.

Krystal is completing the theory component of her traineeship via remote learning, with scheduled visits from Royal Life Saving WA Trainer Leanne Coverley-Brandis. Leanne says Krystal “already does a lot of online learning, so she’s found it quite suitable and not complicated to follow.” Living in a country town, Krystal studies her schoolwork via School of the Air so is used to learning in this way.

Leanne recently caught up with Krystal and spoke to her about her plans for the future. “She wants to go on to university and become a secondary school teacher,” said Leanne. “It’s important to her to return to the country and regional/remote areas. Given that she knows how things work in country towns, she wants to go back and use her skills and knowledge to help continue to grow the community there.”

Krystal has strong family ties to Laverton, with her grandparents first settling there. She enjoys living there and is keen to make her way back once her university studies are complete, but says she is open to any country town.

For other students considering their study options, Krystal says she “wants others to know that it’s not all about ATAR. These opportunities should be used as a good pathway into further studies.”

It’s admirable that Krystal wants to make a difference in country and remote areas and that she is already consciously working towards that goal. We wish Krystal well with her studies and every success for the future!

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A traineeship in Sport and Recreation is a great way to get started in the industry with on-the-job training. To learn more about sport and recreation traineeships with Royal Life Saving WA, visit the link below.