From industry to educator
Meet Daniel, individual support educator at Minda Inc.
- Daniel is currently employed as a Lead Trainer.
- He teaches Certificate IV in Disability, Certificate III in Individual Support and Certificate I in Access to Vocational Pathways and has worked in the disability industry for 15 years.
- Daniel has been teaching for 9 years.
“I was working in commercial enterprises, teaching people with disability to use power tools, welding equipment and other construction skills. I saw gaps in the skills of support staff working with these people so when I got an opportunity to work developing staff rather than clients, I saw it as a practical progression.”
“While delivering skills training to clients in disability services, my organisation encouraged me to become an accredited trainer not realising it wasn’t required or what accredited meant. As I explored this further myself, I realised that accredited training was what I wanted to do, rather than continuing with informal, ad hoc skills development that was not formally recognised for clients.”
“I value the opportunity to connect training with real-world practice, helping students recognise common challenges and develop the skills to manage them effectively. I also enjoy exploring the reasoning behind people’s decisions, focusing less on right or wrong and more on understanding how and why those decisions and actions are made.”
“As Lead Trainer, I spend much of my day working closely with trainers and assessors to ensure consistency in delivery and assessment. This includes reviewing and refining course and assessment materials to align with unit requirements and industry expectations. I also respond to student enquiries and support needs, particularly where there are challenges with understanding, progression, or assessment outcomes. Alongside this, I contribute to maintaining compliance requirements and supporting trainers and assessors in making sound assessment decisions.”
“It is important to understand that training in the VET sector involves meeting compliance and assessment requirements, it’s not just about delivering content. Trainers need a strong, current understanding of their industry and must be able to apply that knowledge, assess performance, and support others to reach a competent standard.”