A former senior police constable and legal prosecutor has made a dramatic career shift, trading his badge for a toolkit to pursue carpentry through TAFE NSW. Adam Orford, 37, spent 14 years with the NSW Police Force, even receiving a Commissioner's Citation for his role in ending the 2014 Lindt Cafe siege, but decided to follow a different path.
Priorities Shift Leads to Trade Apprenticeship
Mr Orford explained that his decision stemmed from changing life priorities rather than a single defining moment. "The main thing for me was what are my priorities in life now?" he said. "If you look at my old career of policing and criminal prosecutions, tomorrow night you're going to this location, you're doing this job, you're working weekends, you're working Australia Day."
He contrasted this with his new lifestyle: "One of the main factors for me was the close-to-home, routine lifestyle." What began as a simple goal to become "the world's best home handyman" evolved into professional training after he discovered satisfaction in construction work.
From Labour Hire to Formal Training
After starting with labour hire work, Mr Orford decided to formalise his skills through an apprenticeship. He approached commercial building group Bluestone, where he was already working, about becoming an apprentice carpenter. "Bluestone were fantastic," he recalled. "They said, 'We like upskilling everyone, so if you're gonna do that, that's fantastic.'"
The company recommended commercial carpentry as the most applicable trade for their operations, leading Mr Orford to enroll at TAFE NSW. "I started, essentially living the dream because TAFE's awesome," he said enthusiastically about his educational experience.
Mature-Age Advantages at TAFE
Now nearing the end of his first apprenticeship year, Mr Orford strongly advocates for TAFE as an option for mature students. He highlighted the practical benefits of learning from industry professionals: "Your TAFE teachers are professionals. I've had a lot of situations where I'm like, 'Hey I've got this job coming up later in the week. I don't really know how to do it.'"
He described how instructors would provide detailed guidance: "They'll go, 'The way I would do it is X, Y, Z,' or 'this is how I'd do it, this is how I'd form it up,' and they'd draw me pictures, and they'd show me things." This support allowed him to apply knowledge immediately on worksites.
Mr Orford believes maturity brings distinct advantages to vocational education: "I think it's almost more beneficial doing it as a mature-age student because one, you've got a little bit of pressure there because you have to maintain your family structure. Two, you're there because you wanna be there."
Worksite Experiences: From Steel Mills to Caravan Parks
As a carpenter, Mr Orford has worked across diverse sites, including the impressive BlueScope steelworks. "I was seeing a huge crane lift another 100-tonne crane into the sky the other day," he described. "It almost looks like a little bit of a scene from, say, Fallout or Mad Max in there, where you've got these buildings producing amazing steel beams."
Yet he finds equal satisfaction in smaller projects: "Probably one of my greatest experiences is I worked at Kiama Caravan Park, just building a public toilet. I got to do a lot of the nicer finishing things in there, cladding and framing."
He particularly enjoys the tangible results of construction: "The bigger jobs are impressive to look at, but I really enjoy almost the smaller jobs, just doing those little things like door handles and door closers and framing and tiles. It's all good stuff, and stuff that I can take and apply to my home life."
Encouragement for Career Changers
Mr Orford offers straightforward advice to those considering similar transitions: "Give it a go." He emphasises how priorities evolve: "What your priorities are when you're 18, are different to when you're 30, when you have a family."
Reflecting on his educational approach compared to younger students, he noted: "I sit there in class and listen to every word, where if I were 16, maybe I wouldn't do that." His journey demonstrates that career reinvention through vocational education can provide both professional satisfaction and improved work-life balance.
