Educational Pathways
Educational Pathways
workshop review
The Safety Charter’s Health and Safety Leaders Group recently held a workshop on educational pathways. This event was designed to provide information on the opportunities for health and safety representatives and managers wishing to progress their health and safety journey and extend their knowledge and gain formal qualifications.
All four presenters spoke about their personal journeys, and the individuals and organisations had assisted them along the way.
In 2019 an industrial accident while working as a diesel mechanic changed Adrian Eastern’s life and despite his dyslexia and limited formal education, Adrian embarked on a bachelor’s degree in business management at Ara, specialising in Human Resource Management and Health and Safety. He talked of the challenges he faced in becoming a full-time student, and the support he received from numerous sources.
Stephanie Cerpa shared her story about how she was thrown into the dep end of health and safety and has managed to consolidate her various training and certificates into her current Bachelor of Applied Management Course at the Southern Institute of Technology. Stephanie emphasised the need for thinking and planning your progression and gave the group an integrative learning framework to organise their previous experience and training.
Aaron Edwards spoke of his personal mission to ensure safety on worksites following a near death incident while was demolishing a building on a large excavator. This has led him to an unexpected career as a health and safety manager and safety advocate. He spoke passionately about the skills needed to be a good health and safety advisor, and about training the next generation of health and safety professionals. He presented a personal development plan for the attendees to utilise.
TC Chadinha spoke about the health and safety courses offered at SIT, and his journey from the Police force in South Africa to health and safety manager and tutor. Each speaker was inspirational in their own right and provided pragmatic and practical advice for anyone looking to extend their career and qualifications.