Meet Ben Kelly – Certificate IV in Building and Construction

For someone who works full-time and has a young family, studying seems like the last thing you would do. But that’s exactly what Ben Kelly is doing so that he can get his Domestic Builders License and move forward in his career.

“What keeps me going is my kids. They’re my motivation to make a better future for myself and my two kids.”

Ben Kelly is enrolled in a Certificate IV of Building and Construction at Builders Academy Australia, and he thinks that anyone else who wants to advance in the Construction Industry should as well.

Doing it for the Right Reasons

Many tradespeople are hesitant to go return to study when they are working, because of the time commitment.

“It’s a bit of a juggling act, but my motivation is what makes it work at the moment because there’s an end goal that I want to hit. It’s all about the future.”

When you throw kids into the mix as well, it doesn’t make it easy. But Ben finds that having the support from his family and the desire to make them proud makes undergoing the course worthwhile and manageable.

“Having a full-time job and two kids, Michaela and Noah, they’re my driving force at the moment,” he says. “It’s a juggling act but the motivation’s there to make it all work. There’s an end goal in sight.”

The End Goal

Ben says that he is starting to think about what the Cert IV will mean for his career. He has dreams of becoming a site supervisor and the course is making it all possible.

“When I finally achieve my goal and become a site supervisor, I reckon it would just be a massive accomplishment.”

Ben isn’t entering into this course through the trade route that many others follow.

“I’m an estimator, so my day to day role is to assess people’s homes, where they may have lodged a claim through their insurance company for building loss or damage.”

“My job is to assess the site, assess the damage and prepare a report for the insurance company on the cause, and an estimate to repair the home, with a bill of quantities and a bit of idea on the duration of the repairs.”

To make these kinds of calls as an estimator, it’s helpful to have an in-depth knowledge of what is involved in the repair of a damaged building.

“We assess, in my job, a lot of older homes that aren’t compliant to today’s building standards,” he says. “If something needs to be brought up to today’s standards, which might have been built 50 years ago,” Ben says it’s helpful to have a knowledge of the codes so he can, “assess it accurately prepare a scope of works.”

This desire to upskill led Ben to BAA, which provides a great environment to learn this kind of thing.

“Being in the same class as people with the same interests and a teacher like Bosko that’s been helpful and understanding throughout the year. It’s been extremely helpful and invaluable.”

Helpful and Invaluable

Ben wants to learn things that will make his performance at work better, and lead to his DBL further down the track. BAA gives him both.

Initially Ben was anxious about returning to study after such a long time, but he has found it much easier than he thought it would be.

“My initial feelings of studying: daunting.”

“I didn’t really like studying back when I was completing school and I thought I might experience the same again, but it’s been the complete opposite.”

“To come back now, 13 years later, hasn’t really been as challenging as I thought. I think that’s been the teacher and having a bit of interest in learning. It’s been really good.”

Ben’s trainer Bosko is a chippy, so he understands the industry, speaks the language and knows how to create a good classroom environment for tradies.

“I’m glad I got a trainer like that because he’s really down to earth and treats everyone the same. He’s really engaging.”

“If I ever need help, Bosko’s really good. We’ve all got his number. If there’s something we’re stuck on, he doesn’t really care if we ring him up and ask him a quick question. He’s always there to answer and help out.”

This level of support makes it easier for Ben to stay on top of everything.

“The way I manage the course and my assessments is: I just try and get as much done as I can in class when the teacher’s there,” he says, but notes that personal motivation comes into it.

“I think discipline is definitely is key to undertaking this course. Just be mindful of time management with your assessments so that when you come to the next class you’ve got everything ready to hand in.”

All things considered, he thinks the Cert IV is a must for anyone who’s ready to move to the next stage of their career.

“Just do it.”

“For what you get out of it, it’s invaluable. It’s going to be extremely advantageous for wherever you want to go in your career.”

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.