Organisation: Department of Education
Job Title: Home Economics Assistant
Location: Joseph Banks Secondary College
Joseph Banks Secondary College
Re: Home Economics Assistant
In response to your advertisement for a Home Economics Assistant, I would like to offer my application. As my attached resume indicates, I have a broad range of chef and teaching skills and experience which meets the requirements of this role. Please find below my responses to the selection criteria.
Demonstrated good oral and written communication skills, including the ability to interact with students, parents and teaching professionals
I possess excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills and can communicate at all levels of organisations and formalities, including building rapport with students, parents and colleagues. Within my role at the International College of Management in Sydney, I took responsibility for the running of events which the hospitality students would cater for, as well as the running of the café with student assistance. My role was to train students in a range of competencies including barista training, event catering, function organisation and management, customer service and a broad range of other skills. I communicated with students in a professional but friendly manner and ensured they understood my instructions and direction through reiteration and having them express their understanding on the task they were about to perform. Students undertaking this training were of diverse ages requiring me to be able to appeal to the different age ranges.
On one occasion, the students put on a large scale event based on a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory theme. My role was to guide and assist the students, but to also give them some authority and responsibility to run the event themselves. I ran planning meetings with the students to come up with the theme and decoration of the venue, along with the meal planning. This required letting them have control, but also steering them in particular directions at the same time. Parents and friends were invited to the event and this also gave me an opportunity to meet and talk to parents about their child’s progress in the program. This successful event was a testament to both the students’ abilities, but also my capacity for successfully communicating at different levels.
During my role at VT training, I was responsible for entering workplaces where candidates were working and assessing them for a range of competencies, so they could be considered for qualifications. I would meet with the chef and the candidate and discuss how we could have them assessed over the next 10 to 12 months. This was agreed and I attended the workplace fortnightly or monthly to have the trainee cook particular dishes to be assessed and also observe other aspects of their work, including hygiene standards. I was successful in this role due to my ability to be organised, very clear about what the person had to prepare and transparent around process and procedure.
Demonstrated good interpersonal skills, including the ability to work as part of a team
My interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively both leading and being part of a team are best demonstrated through my role at the International College of Management in Sydney, where I worked together with students to run the café and to put on large and small catered events. Taking a leadership role within this team environment, I would often allocate students to different roles for events; ensuring students who were competent at a particular skill were paired with students who weren’t. This allowed students to learn in a collaborative setting from one another as well as from me and resulted in a more motivated and accomplished team.
Every year within the college, a large event was staged to host the city’s Catholic priests. One particular year, the team of students and I set up the great hall for around 100 guests. At the very last minute, we were informed that there would be 20 more guests than we had planned for. Bringing the team together, we worked out how we were going to cater for the extra guests in the limited time we had. By taking on different tasks, we were able to accommodate the extra guests easily. To wait the function, students sorted themselves into teams, again with different tasks and I was very proud to have been part of such a well-run event. After the event, my Manager gave a public recognition of my and the team’s hard work to run the event and we were asked to attend the stage so that we could be thanked by all of our guests.
As a person with a natural ability to communicate and build rapport with others, along with my nurturing persona, I am able to work with, assist, train, and coach and mentor students in an inclusive, professional and fun way, resulting in goals being achieved.
Demonstrated good organisational skills that will assist in the delivery of effective education programs to students
I have demonstrated my organisational and time management skills, particularly in my role at VT Training where I was able to have candidates qualified within 10 months instead of the standard 12 month period. This was achieved through my up to date knowledge of the curriculum and the requirements for meeting each part. I would draw up a schedule for the candidate and for the chef to let them know exactly when I would be attending the workplace for assessments and what needed to be prepared by the candidate each time. This could be easily followed by everyone, leading to an organised approach. To ensure this led to the delivery of effective education programs, I familiarised myself with the mandatory requirements required and then used my knowledge to select appropriate assessment methods. I used this knowledge to then create an assessment plan with the student and their supervisor which could be worked through. The gathering of evidence included a combination of photographic, written, questioning, observation and performance criteria, and through competent organisation, the qualification was often achieved well within the time frame allowed. Gaining feedback from the candidate’s supervisor/chef was part of the process and ensured my ability to work on any areas of concern on the next occasion.
During my tenure at the International College of Management in Sydney, I not only used my organisational skills, but taught hospitality students how to use theirs to ensure events and food services were run smoothly and to timelines. I ran planning meetings with the students before each event where we planned the run sheet and timings, and worked back from there to determine the preparation schedule. Giving students some independence in this regard, they sometimes made mistakes, however these times made for excellent learning examples which were often better than when things went perfectly.
As a Home Economics Assistant, I would be happy to assist the Teacher to run organised and valuable sessions which are conducive to students’ learning.
Demonstrated ability to assist with the general health and well-being of students
During my tenure at the International College of Management in Sydney, I was training and mentoring students from a range of countries, including Korea and Japan who were living and studying a long way from home. As a nurturing individual, I understood that they were there to study, but also that it may not be easy for them to be so far from home and made allowances for this. I would often send students along to student services if I thought they were having issues and maintained my own caring style of mentoring and coaching them, ensuring they felt included and valued.
Being there to assist the teacher in a role such as the Home Economics Assistant, means assisting students as well, in whatever form that takes. I am a natural rapport builder and have numerous positive experiences in assisting students in different areas in my previous roles.
I would like to thank you for taking the time to consider my application for this position and I look forward to hearing from you to discuss it further.
