A Giant Leap for Michael - From the Australian Defence Force to the Landscape Industry

2023

After serving over 20 years in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) including active combat missions in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Michael McSorley was looking for a change of career and envisioned a quiet life as a project manager perhaps, but companies he approached all wanted experience.

He responded to an advertisement for a Jim’s mowing franchise and gained some garden maintenance experience and it was during this time that he rekindled his love of gardening and landscaping which had always been a calming influence for him whilst on leave at home away from active service.

Michael and his family decided to relocate to the Gold Coast and he answered another advertisement with LQ Member Park Lane Landscapes for a garden maintenance assistant just over a year ago. He brought with him enthusiasm and years of experience and transferrable skills including following instructions!

Business owner Brett Oakley from Park Lane quickly recognised Michael’s ability and suggested he commence a mature aged apprenticeship - Certificate III in Parks and Gardens.

Park Lane undertakes works on high rise apartments and residential properties on the Gold Coast which often include out of the ordinary access situations such as roof top gardens, podium planter boxes and terraced gardens.

Mitigating risks is something Michael is all too familiar with from his ADF experience, however Brett wanted him to keep safe on-the-job and so enrolled Michael in a Work Safely at Heights course which is partially funded by Construction Skills Queensland (CSQ).

This training has assisted Michael to undertake a broader scope of work and increase his skill set, including safety on site, and will stand him in good stead for his ongoing career in the landscape industry, which has already seen him promoted to a supervisor’s position.

When asked how beneficial the course was to his everyday activities Michael replied ”It was great! The course provided some fantastic theory and we also got involved in practical demonstrations of how to use this newly acquired knowledge into our regular work routines once we were back on site. Brett is very safety conscious and since these particular skills aren’t covered in the Apprenticeship I’m doing, he was keen to see me complete this additional training, so I better understand the risks and how to deal with them”.

The course is reasonably priced, with the majority of the funding coming from CSQ. For Michael and Brett, the extra expense was a minor investment in exchange for the peace of mind it afforded them as Michael pursued his career change in the landscaping industry.