![Radek Hruska with wife Kirsty and daughters Liana and Kiera.](https://aboutregional.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/01/Radek-family-810x608.jpg)
Radek Hruska (second from left) with (from left) wife Kirsty and daughters Liana and Kiera. Photo: Supplied.
Radek Hruska is determined to provide a good life for his family on the NSW South Coast, and he’s wasted no time in making that happen.
Emigrating from the Czech Republic in 2018, Radek was determined to improve his written and spoken English, and enrolled in Bega TAFE’s Certificate IV in Tertiary Preparation, and graduated with an ATAR equivalent of 98.4.
With his strong Tertiary Entrance Rank, he began 2020 with an acceptance to study a Bachelor of Business Administration at the Australian National University.
COVID-19 and the Black Summer bushfires meant he missed his first semester, but the university suggested that with his previous business experience, and strong ATAR score, he should consider a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.
Now a resident of Bermagui, Radek left his home in the Czech Republic so his daughters could experience an Australian education and be closer to his Australian wife’s family.
“The Tertiary Preparation Course (TPC) was really good for me as I didn’t have any recognised education in Australia,” he says. “So here I was, a 45-year-old family man from the Czech Republic, who used to own and publish adventure magazines, studying the equivalent of the HSC.
“I was a bit anxious at first. I hadn’t studied for a long time and when I was in high school, I was more interested in sport than my education. This time around, I was determined to achieve a result that could open opportunities in the future.
“The TPC can be completed in just one year and if you focus and work hard for that year, the result can change the rest of your life.
“It wasn’t all me though. The teachers offered each student an incredible amount of support. It was a very inclusive experience.
“On their advice, I completed a Graduate Certificate of Management and have been accepted to study the Master’s.
“My goal is to raise my family on the Far South Coast while using my education to secure a career in a large company or organisation.”
TAFE NSW head teacher of career pathways Joy Sharpe says the Certificate IV in Tertiary Preparation builds confidence in people who want to make a career change.
“It is another option for students who are not happy with their ATAR,” she says. “It is also useful for people wanting to move from a vocational job into a profession.
“It gives students the confidence and skills to be able to conduct research and write essays with the right referencing. The TPC is a real headstart for anyone going to university.
“It’s one year that sets up graduates with a great education foundation for the rest of their lives.”
For more information on a range of courses for semester one enrolment, visit the TAFE NSW website or phone 131 601.