The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs recently had seven players and four staff members complete their Certificate IV in Community Services.
After completing a short TAFE course called 'Introduction to Youth Work', they then added another short course last year called 'Pathway to Community Services', before finally completing their Cerficate IV in Community Services.
Players who participated included Will Hopoate, Ray Faitala-Mariner, Marcelo Montoya, Asipeli Fine, Ofahiki Ogden, Francis Tualau and Jayden Okunbor.
The course was delivered by Granville TAFE teacher Robyn Minici at Belmore Sports Ground.
As part of their course the players and staff spent time in the community, including an afternoon with the staff and clients at Afford Disability Centre and also the Belmore Youth Resource Centre where they got to speak with the youth workers and counsellors from the centre, as well as the team from Barnardos Australia.
The Community Services course covers a range of topics, including facilitating the interests and rights of clients, using communication to build relationships, developing and maintaining networks and collaborative partnerships, assessing co-existing needs and working legally and ethically.
The Cert IV in Community Services can lead to a range of potential career opportunities including Youth worker, Community Services Worker, Health Education Officer, Domestic Violence Officer and Family Support Worker.
