TAFE teaching brings balance for Hazel

Following a decade in the electrical industry that began in Zimbabwe and ended in Central Queensland, Hazel Kuveya turned her focus to training the next generation of electricians while supporting her children’s sporting commitments.

A firm believer in the value of deep, detailed learning for the electrical industry and the need for diverse teachers spanning a range of industry sectors and environments, Hazel is uniquely positioned to explain Australian Standards to her students relative to others around the world, including the English Standards system in place in Zimbabwe.

Hazel has used her industry experience across the domestic, commercial, and industrial install and repair sectors and telecommunications sector to train the next generation of Central Queensland electricians at Tec-NQ’s Mackay campus for almost 15 years.

Hazel has loved the work-life balance of her teaching career, enabling her and her husband CK to travel the state during school holidays for their kids’ sporting pursuits.

“Assisting a student go from struggling with the basic principles to suddenly getting it provides a level of professional pride that a finished installation cannot match,” Hazel said.

“I wanted to give back to the trade, the electrical trade is so diverse and to learn it properly you need to learn from many different teachers.

“I’ve had great career progression in training, I am now onboarding new teachers and leading our teaching team for electrical in Mackay.”

But it’s not only the professional fulfilment that Hazel enjoys about TAFE teaching, it’s the balance available to parents like herself that really sets it apart from a job in industry.

“Teaching is great for parents because the hours are less than on the tools, and I have the weekends and public holidays guaranteed off, along with school holidays.

“I have time to spend time with my family on the holidays, my husband and I have the opportunity to travel around with our kids for sports in the school holidays.

“I would recommend teaching as a career to people who want to have time in school holidays to spend with their kids.

“Especially as they grow and participate in sport, this career guarantees you can be there for your kids and it is a very fulfilling role too.”

Parents across Queensland with industry qualifications and experience are being encouraged to explore TAFE teaching careers like Hazel for their next step.

The $2 million TAFE teacher recruitment drive is an election commitment of the Queensland Government. This commitment and programs supporting teacher training and employment form part of Measures to Strengthen the VET Workforce, a joint initiative between the Australian and Queensland Governments.