Certificate III in Commercial Cookery
Certificate IV in Commercial Cookery
Diploma of Hospitality Management

“Studying at the Gordon has changed me most notably in my approach to work ethic and has taught me to persevere even more throughout my day to day life. Beyond this, being a student at the Gordon has boosted my confidence to thrive in the workplace. My technique has improved, with many thanks to all the staff and the expertise, the advice and support I received from them has been so relevant and for that I’m so grateful. It has encouraged me in striving for accuracy and precision in what I do, as well as trusting my instincts or intuition in a specific moment, for these new acquired attributes, I cannot thank the Gordon enough.”

Hear what Deakin College Engineering student Michael, from Indonesia, has to say about his experience at Deakin College and living in Geelong. Find out how Geelong inspired his interest in photography and his advice for prospective studentts.

Hi, my name is Yang Ying and I come from China. I came to Deakin University to study and I am currently undertaking a Master of Landscape Architecture. Australia is an amazing country - from the moment I landed at Melbourne Airport, I was curious about my new home.

I feel lucky that I chose to study at Deakin University’s Waterfront campus because of the incredible views and the friendly people in Geelong. Prior to commencing my architecture studies at Deakin, I studied a ten week English language course at the Deakin University English Language Institute (DUELI).

During my English language studies, it was really exciting that my classmates were from different countries such as Russia, Iran, India, Thailand, Philippines andVenezuela. I made many great friends – we studied together and shared our different life experiences with each other. The teachers were also very helpful - they not only assisted us in our studies but also found ways to help us relax such as arranging visits to the zoo and doing yoga classes together.

My time at DUELI was a turning point in my life because I learned new skills such as searching through documents and writing in English. For a Masters student, critical thinking, writing, and searching documents are all important skills. Furthermore, good communication skills are also important and having friends from different backgrounds has been a great help in learning about new perspectives, new ways of thinking and different cultures.

In my spare time, I like to travel with my friends and to participate in different activities. I have been to Lake Tyrrell, gone fishing, joined in the Zombie Show, took part in Run Geelong, enjoyed some volunteer work and travelled to other cities. By taking part in various activities, I feel like I am an active participant in society making a valuable contribution to the city of Geelong especially when I’m volunteering which involves giving up my time for the reward and satisfaction of helping someone perhaps less fortunate than myself.

I still have one year left before I finish my course and although my studies are sometimes challenging and stressful, I am confident about my future, since my life motto has always been ‘Study Hard and Play Hard’. 

I still study at The Gordon, I chose it because I wanted to study Diploma of Community Services Work in the place that is accredited by ACWA (Australian Community Workers Association) and The Gordon was (still is) the only one in Geelong which could provide it.
I love being a student at The Gordon, simply because we have very passionate, skilled and very experienced teachers, who teach us the most important things about the welfare work, values and beliefs.

It is good to be part of a team, who also teaches you what is important in life, how to see from another perspective, how to critically think about things around us and be actively involved in the world. I am not working in that field yet, but I am sure I will be well prepared for employment after I finish my study. We are learning things that are relevant to welfare work and we are challenged and empowered at the same time - to learn more, to research, to be open to discover further and to build up our strengths and skills to become better workers.

Being the only international student in the class of 25 Australians is definitely a very good experience, especially because I have got the opportunity to improve my English skills, to get insight into Aussie slang and to find out more about Australian lifestyle, customs, habits, culture.

I wouldn't want it any other way!