A single mother-of-five who seized the opportunity Fee-Free TAFE

A pancreatic cancer survivor, Kerryn Griffis is also a single mother-of-five who seized the opportunity Fee-Free TAFE provided to study a Certificate III in Conservation and Ecosystem Management to pursue her lifelong passion for conservation.

Kerryn has always had a deep love for the bush stemming from her grandparents, who were tour operators in the Northern Territory. Her admiration of nature continued into her adult life, with the former stay-at-home mum spending much of her time in the bush practicing macro-photography with insects, pollen and fungi.

“I’d wanted to study conservation for ages, but it was full fee, which put me off. My friends kept telling me I should become a park ranger, but anything I was interested in doing was only available down south and too expensive.

When Fee-Free TAFE was announced I had another look online and it was free, so I jumped on it,” Kerryn said.

“There’s no way I would have been able to study without the funding, so it was amazing that the course I wanted to do was fee free. It felt like a sign from the universe that this is what I was meant to be doing,” she said.

Kerryn is now employed by a local ecological restoration specialist and is working in the industry she is passionate about.

“TAFE really has been lifechanging for me. It’s opened so many doors for me and for that I’m so grateful,” she concluded.