sazgeering Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 Hi guys - any advice would be great about the idea of doing an online course in Health and Safety with the idea of securing a good well paid job when we move out to Perth...? I'm currently a Science teacher, so do have a general idea on health and safety issues and risk assessments, etc - but I'm wondering if retraining would actually get me a job, or just be a waste of money? I wouldn't have any specific experience in Health and Safety role, apart from drawing on my experience as a Science teacher. I would be looking to do the Cerificate IV of Occupational Health and Safety with the Open Universities Australia website. Any information would be great! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sazgeering Posted December 30, 2012 Author Share Posted December 30, 2012 Anyone about to offer any advice? :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 Are you thinking of the change in order to secure the visa? If so you may find you'll need to have some experience in that role. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sazgeering Posted December 30, 2012 Author Share Posted December 30, 2012 Hi Ali - no, we've been granted permanent 175 visa based on my teaching qualifications - just looking into options for a career change... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realitynotincluded Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 hiya Health n safefty in what area.... it would be a good idea to know what you want to H&S in as it covers a large area and companies would want someone who knows specific knowledge eg..... construction being different to catering... l have heard people splash out for this course only to find that they cant get a job because of the lack of experience in the field, research carefully, and cover an area that you are interested in doing H&S in... will definitely benefit Hi Ali - no, we've been granted permanent 175 visa based on my teaching qualifications - just looking into options for a career change... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sazgeering Posted December 30, 2012 Author Share Posted December 30, 2012 Hi "Realitynotincluded" - was looking into Occupational Health and Safety, as I like working with people and have strong views on making workplaces safe for all. We had a recent experience at our workplace that did not do this correctly and I felt like I was the only person who seemed to be interested in the safety of the staff! Hoping someone on the forum may have experience in this field to give me more of an insight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuosist Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 Course providers Regarding the course you mentioned, there are many providers in Australia, so shop around. Prices seem to range from €1000 upward to €3000. Contact Melanie at www.trainingstars.com.au They deliver the Certificate IV in the UK and Ireland for people emigrating to Australia. She last quoted €1000 (euro) to my husband for the course you are considering. Personally I thought the course content fairly basic. I would think a Diploma or MSc in OHS or H&S would be more valuable. Career pathway There are many career pathways with health and safety and risk management. Ideas... Consider using your science background to work as an Occupational Hygienist (Industrial). It will build on you qualification base and funnel you into an area of specialisation that is niche and paid well.http://www.aioh.org.au/index.aspx check out Deakin University off campus Occ Hygiene Graduate Certificate or Msc http://www.deakin.edu.au/future-students/courses/detail.php?customer_cd=C&service_item=S705&version_number=1&element_cd=SPECIALISATIONS-STR&sub_item_number=1&return_to=%2Ffuture-students%2Fcourses%2Fcourse.php%3Fcourse%3DS705%26stutype%3Dlocal%26area%3DBFOS-SCIENCE Not sure if the link worked however only the Deakin and Wollongong courses in Occupational Hygiene are accredited with the AIOH in Australia. Alternatively you could work in a risk management role in academic institutions which builds on your teaching background. If you are going to complete study units, research whether the IV OHS certificate will give you any credit toward a Diploma, BSc or MSc in OHS. If working with people is 'more your thing' consider focusing on health ergonomics or return to work coordinator roles. University of Derby UK offers an online Health Ergonomics MSc which is cheaper than doing a comparable course in Australia. Consider the return to work coordinator role courses (online) and 'train the trainer courses'. Please note Workcover courses can differ between different states. I would recommend you sift through OHS, Health and Safety, Risk Advisor, RTW Coordinator and Occupational Hygienist jobs on www.seek.com.au read the job descriptions and see which role sounds it would fit with your interests, then check out qualification requirements and work backwards. There are also many environmental jobs that use a science background. www.EnvironmentJObs.com.au Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Kenning Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 Hi Sazgeering, I came to Australia as an audio engineer and am now a Health & Safety Manager. My journey briefly - worked in corporate audiovisual services and was asked to be a health and safety representative i.e. a worker who attends OHS meetings, does risk assessments and endeavors to improve working environment. I became more and more interested in OHS and finally did a Cert IV online while working. With a Cert IV it took me about 7 (frustrating) months to find my first job. I made the mistake of doing a Cert IV, when really a Diploma is a safer option, despite many jobs only requiring a Cert IV. My company took me with a Cert IV but insisted I get my Diploma as soon a practicable. Have a look at HBA Learning Centers for courses. I strongly suggest that you do lots research first and (based on your current role) advice that a Dip OHS would be a faster way to ensure you get work. Have a look at these websites - Safety Institute of Australia National Safety Council of Australia Safe Work Australia You may be aware that the system here is based on English law from the mid 70's (Robens) and a lot of similarities exist, however, recent harmonisation laws (Work Health & Safety Act 2011) can result in confusion in some states. You cannot do too much research in this area. I'm fortunate as I work as a consultant for a telecommunications company (the one with a big T logo) and fall under the Comcare self-insurer scheme, so things are simplified for me in a legislative sense. Think about what you can offer to a prospective employer in terms of previous experience. I had first aid certificate, basic electrical knowledge and experience with teaching. These are valuable skills which help me perform my role. A career in H&S is very rewarding, challenging and for me offers a work-life balance unheard of in performing arts. I also get the opportunity to work form home once a week, which is great with two kids.... Having said that, there are also a lot of politics involved, shop floor workers, management, budgets and a general misconception of what we do. Endeavoring to break down these misconceptions and encouraging everyone to embrace H&S is a prerequisite for any aspiring H&S manager! Some of the large universities have OHS staff, have a look at Monash for example. Many, many jobs exist in mining and the money looks great however without mining experience you are not going to land a 150K job in the mines, can't say that I'd really like to do that anyway. "Health & Safety" is such a general term, to be successful you must decide where your skills lie and adapt them to a suitable role. Hope this helps, David. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sazgeering Posted December 31, 2012 Author Share Posted December 31, 2012 Thanks everyone - thats some fantastic information, will have a look on some of those websites and will def. consider diploma rather than cert IV. Its difficult for me to know what I would like to do as I have only ever been a teacher, straight from school to uni, then to teaching. Been doing it for 5 years and really have no other idea on what I could do, or be good at! Appreciate all the advice and will get back to you when I've had a looky! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dartmoor345 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Hi Sazgeering, I came to Australia as an audio engineer and am now a Health & Safety Manager. My journey briefly - worked in corporate audiovisual services and was asked to be a health and safety representative i.e. a worker who attends OHS meetings, does risk assessments and endeavors to improve working environment. I became more and more interested in OHS and finally did a Cert IV online while working. With a Cert IV it took me about 7 (frustrating) months to find my first job. I made the mistake of doing a Cert IV, when really a Diploma is a safer option, despite many jobs only requiring a Cert IV. My company took me with a Cert IV but insisted I get my Diploma as soon a practicable. Have a look at HBA Learning Centers for courses. I strongly suggest that you do lots research first and (based on your current role) advice that a Dip OHS would be a faster way to ensure you get work. Have a look at these websites - Safety Institute of Australia National Safety Council of Australia Safe Work Australia You may be aware that the system here is based on English law from the mid 70's (Robens) and a lot of similarities exist, however, recent harmonisation laws (Work Health & Safety Act 2011) can result in confusion in some states. You cannot do too much research in this area. I'm fortunate as I work as a consultant for a telecommunications company (the one with a big T logo) and fall under the Comcare self-insurer scheme, so things are simplified for me in a legislative sense. Think about what you can offer to a prospective employer in terms of previous experience. I had first aid certificate, basic electrical knowledge and experience with teaching. These are valuable skills which help me perform my role. A career in H&S is very rewarding, challenging and for me offers a work-life balance unheard of in performing arts. I also get the opportunity to work form home once a week, which is great with two kids.... Having said that, there are also a lot of politics involved, shop floor workers, management, budgets and a general misconception of what we do. Endeavoring to break down these misconceptions and encouraging everyone to embrace H&S is a prerequisite for any aspiring H&S manager! Some of the large universities have OHS staff, have a look at Monash for example. Many, many jobs exist in mining and the money looks great however without mining experience you are not going to land a 150K job in the mines, can't say that I'd really like to do that anyway. "Health & Safety" is such a general term, to be successful you must decide where your skills lie and adapt them to a suitable role. Hope this helps, David. Hi David, I noticed you said you work for a big telecoms company as a H&S manager in your previous post and I was just wondering how easy it was to get a job over there. Some background: I am a ICT technician in the RAF with 11 years experience working on a wide range of communications systems but as they say I am a jack of all trades, master of none. With my resettlement I can spend quite a bit of money on some courses in the next year or so and H&S was on my list as well as Project Management. Would my experience in the telecoms/comms industry be enough to get me a job coupled with a diploma in H&S or would I need to find a job in the same field over here in the uk before applying for jobs in Oz. Thanks in advance Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.