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Tenzin Dhargyal

In preparation for a Year 11 SWL Opportunity for work placement, Tenzin attended a Northern Mallee LLEN Vocational Preparation and Transition Program (VPTP) Presentation on the SWL State-wide Portal and preparation for work placement. Tenzin was interviewed by NMLLEN staff to identify industry interests. He was then matched with Sunraysia Mallee Ethnic Community Council (SMECC) as a host employer as it was identified that a community service role may help his police force application in the future. Tenzin also had a language barrier which was another reason why SMECC was identified as his SWL employer as they would be able to provide him the required support while on placement.


Tenzin was then able to navigate the SWL Portal to apply for the opportunity. The SWL Portal presentation provides information on what is SWL, benefits of SWL, what students should aspire to achieve at a work placement and the process to obtain a placement. The presentation included a Power Point presentation on SWL Portal and videos from industry.


Tenzin attended an interview at SMECC in which he displayed a positive attitude. Tenzin was well supported through the process by the school, the employer, and Northern Mallee LLEN.
Tenzin attended his work placement and undertook a variety of job roles within the SMECC program.
Some of these job roles were working in the food warehouse, Kitchen support, English Café, playgroup and youth group that provided Tenzin with a variety of experiences that increased his skills and understanding of the working environment.


A site visit was conducted by Nick Goodieson (MSC) and Natika Mitselburg (NMLLEN) during the placement where they had the opportunity to witness Tenzin assisting non-English speaking community members. Tenzin attended additional after-hours programs to assist the SMECC staff as he enjoyed the placement and job roles.


Student Comments: Tenzin Dhargyal:
I received support from our Workplace Transition Coordinator Nick Goodieson and NMLLEN’s Natika Mitselburg with the arrangement of my SWL placement and application process. I am interested in the Police Force and Community Service. Through my SWL Placement, I have gained communication skills and learnt about food safety and work culture. I have also learnt why food banks and storing food is important. I have also developed network with my co-workers at SMECC, Sharon and Jagandeep and this might help me in my career going forward. One challenge was that my placement was delayed due to Covid- 19 related restrictions, but I was well supported by my employer, NMLLEN and the school with the process and overcoming the challenges. I highly recommend undergoing SWL placement to other students.


Teacher Comments- Melissa Davies, Personal Development – Work related Community & Health,
Mildura Senior College:

The SWL placement program provides opportunities for students to assess their areas of interests and assess capabilities within a range of work environments. The program also helps them determine if joining the workforce or pursuing further studies is the way forward for them. To access SWL, students are put in touch with Nick Goodieson, Workplace Transition Coordinator, who collaborates with NMLLEN and supports students with the process of SWL placement. Tenzin was sufficiently supported through the process by the Nick, the employer and NMLLEN.

Employer Comments- Joelle Brown, Manager, Sunraysia Mallee Ethnic Community Council:
SMECC was approached by Natika from NMLLEN to assess if it was possible to host the students. The Program went well, Tenzin was involved in a variety of areas such as food hub, warehouse, kitchen support to our chef, English Café, play group & yard maintenance. We enjoyed having Tenzin as part of our team and our staff was supportive in mentoring him with new experiences and skills in a variety of roles and it was good to have some extra support in our workplace. NMLLEN and the Mildura Senior College supported us through the process. Where possible, our organisation will continue to be involved in the Structured Workplace Learning Program.

From left to right Sharon Pastor and a colleague from SMECC, Tenzin and fellow student Indy (MSC)
and Natika from NMLLEN

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