Meet Tansel Alici – Trainer
One of the hardest things for tradies who want to progress in their career is finding time to get the next level of qualification while working.
“To be able to get up, go to work, do a hard day’s yakka – it’s not an easy job that they do.”
Builders Academy Australia senior instructor Tansel Alici understands this. Not only because he’s worked in the industry for more than two decades, but because he studied at BAA himself.
After many years in the industry, Tansel has some simple advice for anyone who wants to upgrade their skill set.
Teacher Builder
Tansel loves everything about construction and always has. He got his start in construction as an owner-builder.
“I enjoy building,” he says. “Every home I’ve lived in I’ve built myself, since the year 1991, which was the first one I did. I enjoy being hands-on.”
He might never have taken it much further, but by chance, someone from BAA reached out to Tansel and offered him the opportunity to earn a certificate.
“And I said sure, why not? Because I was building as an owner-builder and why not get the knowledge behind it? I took the offer. From then, I went on to do the Diploma of Construction and Management.”
Tansel enjoyed the course so much that he returned to complete a course on Workplace Health and Safety. He liked that so much that he came back and studied again.
Before he knew it, Tansel says he had, “put a fair few diplomas and certificates behind me to gain the skills and knowledge in that field.”
“I took the opportunity because I wanted the knowledge. I was in there doing the job but wanted to further my studies and hopefully, one day, become a builder as well.”
The Student Becomes the Trainer
“I became a trainer with Builders Academy after 25 years of experience in building and construction.”
The amount of time Tansel has spent as a student means that he’s in the perfect position to guide other students through their course, no matter what their background is.
What has made Tansel a successful trainer is his ability to relate to his students, and understand the challenges that they face when they sign up for a course.
“You’ve got to understand, tradies get up at five in the morning and that’s commitment.” he says. Because a tradie’s work is highly physical, Tansel says, a full day’s work is often exhausting. “And then, find that passion or commitment to be able to come into class and be able to listen to me for all that time!” he jokes.
“I make it as interesting as possible. I joke around with them. We have real-life experiences, we discuss those. You’ve got to break it up.”
As if managing the demands of work weren’t enough, many tradespeople prefer more hands-on work, meaning some are against the idea of returning to the classroom.
This is something that BAA trainers are constantly trying to overcome.
“What makes BAA so different is that our range of trainers have the experience, they come from the industry, they have experienced what our tradies experience.”
“We’ve gotten up at five in the morning, we’ve gone to work, we’ve had the hard day’s work, we’ve come in and gained our knowledge.”
BAA is proud of trainers who can relate to students in this way, so they support their trainers with professional development which empowers them to, “give the students a better experience in any way.”
What Tansel Teaches
The physical nature of being on the tools means that many tradies will fatigue eventually. Young builders don’t think about this as much, but after a while, this work can become more challenging.
“Understand, you want to get off the tools sooner or later,” Tansel says. “You need the knowledge. You need to gain that knowledge to move that step forward.”
Taking the course sooner rather than later prepares students for the future. For anyone who is thinking about that next level of qualification, Tansel has two key pieces of advice.
“The advice that I would give anyone thinking of undertaking the diploma is to make sure you’re committed, for one. That you really want to do it.”
“The second piece of advice would be to get the backing of your family, to be able to support you through this process.”
Without an actual interest in taking their career to the next level, it’s difficult to get motivated to go to class at the end of the day. But when a student is motivated, and has the backing of their family, Tansel has seen that it’s much easier for students to enjoy learning and improve their skillset.
“You’ve got to understand that the diploma, it’s not a difficult thing, but it’s not an easy thing to do at the same time. You have to be committed to be able to start and make sure we finish at the end.”
Tansel will always go the extra mile for his students as well.
“I’m constantly in contact with them to help them if they need to get into a job.”
“What makes my job as a trainer so rewarding is the commitment from all of the students and when I see that they’ve actually completed and received the diploma.”
“That’s the rewarding part.”
Looking to take the next step in your career in building and construction with a certificate or diploma? Contact our team at 1300 LEGEND (1300 534 363) or request a callback and we will get back to you with all the information you need.