Impressive rise from homeless teen to artisan baker

MORGAN Clementson has transformed her life from homeless teen to international artisan baker.

Morgan Clementson

The skills she learned through Vocational Education and Training (VET) have enabled this former ward of the state to exceed all of her expectations, travel the world and, not only have a great career but to excel in her chosen field.

Morgan Clementson has transformed her life from homeless teen to international artisan baker.

The skills she learned through Vocational Education and Training (VET) have enabled this former ward of the state to exceed all of her expectations, travel the world and, not only have a great career but to excel in her chosen field.

With the help of VET, Morgan is the star of her own Cinderella story.

“Starting my apprenticeship gave me discipline. It gave me an understanding that if I really wanted to succeed I had to focus,” said Morgan who works in Brussels as an international demonstrator and technical advisor for Puratos, a multinational bakery ingredient company.

“My apprenticeship wasn’t short of burns, early mornings and hard work,” she said. “However it has taken me places that, as a homeless teenager, I could have never imagined.” 

“Best of all I enjoy my job – a job that has taken me far and wide around the world,” says Morgan, who has worked in diverse destinations from Mumbai to Shanghai and Beirut to Bulgaria and Italy.

We often hear about the changing workforce and see how jobs such as accountancy are being taken over by automation.

According to a recent survey by Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, two-thirds of early career Australians (with up to five years experience) expect that their job will not exist (or will fundamentally change) in the next 15 years. This means the majority expect they will have to reskill, retrain or face potential unemployment.

But there are many jobs lying vacant due to skills shortages and encouraging young Australians to pursue VET qualifications where they become ‘skills ready’ means they are much less likely to face long-term unemployment in the years ahead.

Vocational Education and Training providers partner with industry and government to provide people with the skills and technical experience they need to excel in their chosen career path. VET places emphasis on skills that will never die.

“Transferable skills are the skills that are used in all jobs across all industries. They range from foundation skills such as literacy and numeracy, personal skills like time management, and skills that help us in the workplace, such as teamwork, communication, problem solving and using technology,” said David Collins, Executive Director Training Services NSW.

“Employers from all industries look for workers who have strong foundation skills, relevant subject knowledge, up-to-date technical skills, demonstrated transferable skills and a willingness and ability to keep learning new things. VET courses teach all these aspects because the content is designed by industry and regularly refreshed. VET courses combine essential theory with applied learning,” David said.

How to earn up to $1200 a week as a baker or pastry cook:

There are more than 8,000 bakers, pastry cooks, patissiers and pastry chefs working in NSW but there are shortages of skilled workers and employment over the next four years is expected to remain stable.

What bakers and pastrycooks do

Learning to bake bread and pastries requires knowledge about raw materials, kneading, moulding and shaping goods, preparing pastry fillings, monitoring oven temperatures, health and safety and many other skills.

There are a number of government subsidised qualifications available and apprenticeships and traineeships that will get your career started.Relevant VET courses:

Certificate III in Plant Baking available as an apprenticeship or qualification

Certificate III in Retail Baking (Cake and Pastry) available as an apprenticeship or qualification

Certificate III in Retail Baking (Combined) available as an apprenticeship or qualification

Certificate III in Patisserie available as an apprenticeship or qualification

Certificate IV in Patisserie available as a traineeship or qualification

To learn more about how VET can open doors for you and help you move ahead in the career of your choice, both in Australia and overseas, go to www.vet.nsw.gov.au

Originally published as Impressive rise from homeless teen to artisan baker