SIT2LRN has provided Renee McElligott the skills and confidence needed to take a leap into a new career.
Completing the New Zealand Certificate in Study and Career Preparation (Level 4) provided the stepping stone she needed to transition from hospitality to nursing.
Renee grew up on a dairy farm in Woodlands, North-East of Invercargill, and attended boarding school at St Peter’s College in Gore.
After finishing school, 17-year-old Renee packed up and moved to Queenstown to study at Queenstown Resort College, completing a Diploma in Hospitality Management.
“This led me to getting a job at Millbrook Resort, which then led me to moving to Broome in Western Australia and working at a beach resort where I ended up getting a lot of my management experience.
“I spent four years in Broome, which gave me a lot of experience in retail, tours and hospitality. I also completed another diploma in Australia, a first aid certificate and a snake handling licence!”
Renee also took the opportunity to travel when she could, but during her fourth year in Broome, she started thinking about her future.
“That caused me to look into the courses SIT2LRN had to offer, which is where I found the New Zealand Certificate in Study and Career Preparation."
“I was working and chose to do the full-time course, which meant I was very busy for the three months until I completed that course.”
Despite being 24 at the time, and a few years since she had been at school, SIT2LRN made it very easy to understand and follow, she said.
“It was good because you could see all the exams for the whole course and could submit any time before the due date, which worked well for me because I submitted everything as soon as possible. I also enjoyed not having structured classes so I could wake up early before work or do the learning whenever I found time.”
Completing the certificate led to Renee’s acceptance in to the Southern Institute of Technology’s (SIT) Bachelor of Nursing in Invercargill, and she has now completed her first year.
“The certificate gave me a brief understanding on what to expect in the bachelor, so I definitely recommend doing this before deciding about the next step. If you enjoyed the information in the certificate you will enjoy the learning in the bachelor or diploma.”