Going through a career change at any point in one’s life can be scary. At a point in her life when most in her position would be winding down their career, Michele Rhame decided it was time for a change.
Born and raised in Canada, Michele enjoyed her work with the TB Vets of Canada. In her time there she took on various roles but found that her favorite place to be was in the shipping department surrounded by incoming and outgoing shipments bound for places all over British Columbia. Eventually when the company was forced to downsize she began working with Work BC to find a proper career path that both excited and challenged her.
Through her Work BC research, Rhame found that her best course of action was to get certified for her dream job. She soon embarked upon a new adventure in search of an educational facility that could get her working fast! She knew she wanted to be involved in international distribution and with her research found that Vancouver’s import and export industry is growing with excellent opportunities for employment. She found Brighton College’s 36 weeks International Trade and Freight Forwarding Diploma and soon decided this was the program for her.
“Terry is phenomenal” Rhame said of instructor Terry Grey. “His finesse, his way of expressing the information… he doesn’t sound like a textbook at all. He uses his personal experiences in the industry to get students interested.” Michele particularly enjoyed that the classes were smaller and more intimate, but believe me; Michele’s personality would stand out in any classroom ten times the size.
We met Michele at her workplace at Panalpina. This company is a key player in providing supply chain solutions in the trade industry. With an office in the heart of downtown Vancouver, Michele gets to enjoy a beautiful view of the coastal mountains right from her desk.
Everyone at Panalpina had wonderful things to say about Michele, who had recently been hired from her practicum for a full-time position in ocean freight documentation. We were given a full tour of the office and an overview of her daily tasks working in ocean import and export. Michele also mentioned that “the company is like a perfect marriage for what I learned at Brighton. Things I learned in class are directly applicable to my new job!”
“I really would recommend this program to anyone and everyone. It helps you get your certifications and I even got a job out of it!”
We would like to thank Michele for taking the time out of her busy work day to meet with us and to Panalpina for allowing us to see behind the scenes of their bustling office!
