Trade to Teach Internship gives former plumber Mark a new path to teaching

By Greg Chapman

Mark Agnew has found a new lease on life after trading in his plumbing career to become a school teacher, thanks to CQUniversity and the Queensland Government’s Trade to Teach Internship Program.

Mark was a plumber for 19 years and specialised in the industrial sector, working for some of the largest companies in South-East Queensland, including Visy, Orora, Cross-River Rail, Veolia, National Storage, and Queensland Urban Utilities, to name a few.

But after so many years of manual labour, Mark decided he needed a change and the Trade to Teach Internship Program offered the perfect pathway.

“I no longer had the passion for my trade and my body was hurting from the work I was doing. The only aspect of my job that I liked was teaching the apprentices,” he said.

“Teaching school students and giving them industry knowledge was more appealing and an exciting new adventure.”

As part of the internship, Mark has been placed with Mabel Park State High School.

“I’ve been loving the opportunities I get at the school. Working in a diverse and culturally driven school has been both challenging and rewarding beyond measure,” he said.

“I have been given opportunities like being a member of the staff wellbeing committee, hosting the ITD students with disabilities transition days, exciting professional developments, and working with a supportive leadership team,” he said.

The Queensland Government provides financial support, a paid internship teaching position and permanent teaching position for qualified tradespeople under the Trade to Teach Internship Program.

The Trade to Teach initiative aims to make a significant impact by bringing skilled professionals into the education sector. 

Mark encouraged tradespeople seeking new challenges and opportunities to share their expertise to consider becoming secondary educators through the Trade to Teach Internship Program. 

“I’d tell any tradesperson to back themselves and give it a go,” he said.

“I now get to spend a lot more time with my family, I am never on-call, my body doesn't ache all the time and I go to and leave work happy.”

Find out more: www.qld.gov.au/tradetoteach.