Sydney Roosters Tarsha Gale, SG Ball, and Jersey Flegg players attended the inaugural TAFE NSW Open Day for NRL athletes in Ultimo this week.
The open day idea was initiated by the Sydney Roosters and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Career Coaches and Wellbeing and Education staff in partnership with the NSWRL, NRL, and TAFE NSW.
The day was designed to provide an opportunity for our athletes to learn about the range of courses and career options available for them to explore.
The Roosters employ a qualified Career Coach at the club to assist our players in identifying career pathways most relevant to their interests and skills.
It's a NSWRL requirement that all players in the Jersey Flegg Under 20s competition study or work in order to be eligible to play.
The TAFE NSW Open Day for NRL Athletes was a resounding success and expertly facilitated by Liz Wells, Manager TAFE Services.
The day kicked off with a keynote presentation from former NRL player and current NRL Education Ambassador Matt Ballin, who shared his experience of the highs and lows of his rugby league career with the players.
This presentation was followed by a player panel that included Matt Ballin, Paul Fuller, Luke Vella, and Dene Halatua.
The panel shared the importance of engaging in work or study and the positive impact their engagement had on both their playing career and off-field development.
Following the formal presentations, our young players had the chance to meet head teachers across a range of courses, including business, building design, hairdressing, hospitality, events and tourism, travel, carpentry, electrical, and many more.
Players also had the chance to engage in a range of practical activities to test out their skills and abilities.
This session was followed by tours of TAFE Ultimo's state of the art Autocel and music studios, where students learnt more about careers in automotive, marine, panel beating, and music performance and production.
John Hutchinson, NRL Education, Training and Employment was certainly impressed by the young Roosters players engagement on the day.
Many of the players engaged and asked questions to both the player panel members and TAFE teachers during break-out sessions.
He is looking forward to seeing what courses and careers they are inspired to explore based on their experience on the day.
Sydney Roosters thank the team at TAFE NSW for providing such a valuable, engaging, and interactive opportunity for our young athletes.
