John (Pepe) Kavana, T&G Global - where are you now?

Name: John (Pepe) Kavana

Role: Orchard Assistant Manager

Company: T&G Global

Q: What do you enjoy about working at T&G?

At T&G I get to upskill people. People who haven’t done horticulture before. My new job involves training trainers and I love it.

What’s been your career path to get to your current role?

I have done a lot of courses to get me to this stage. I’ve learnt a lot in the field and through block leads with management. Going more in-depth with Health and Safety helped a lot. I’m now 13 years in.

How did participating in Upskills training support your learning journey?

I struggled with my reading, spelling and email. There is still a bit more to learn but I have learned heaps

There are a lot of words we discussed on the course to do with Health and Safety. I used to get a bit confused when I didn’t know the words. Now I know a lot more about how to say some more difficult words. How to present in front of a meeting, and how to type the right words into our strategy documents.

This course has helped me heaps. I used to ask others to read things for me but now I can do it myself. My confidence to present at meetings has increased as I know how to pronounce words when I speak. I also know how to type the right words into strategy. It used to take me such a long time to write simple sentences.

My manager noticed and commented on the changes the other day when I read out someone’s leave form to him. I also surprise myself when I suddenly realise I have been reading something and made sense of it all.

What advice do you have for others looking to move up at work?

I recommend they do this course because it can help a lot. It helps you with some little things that actually turn into big things. They do help unlock some new skills.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

I’d tell my younger self to go to school. Not just go to the farm with your Dad. It’s not impossible to learn when you are older but it is a lot easier when you are younger.