Future Skills Organisation Case Study: A hot and crispy combo: How VET helped Ammaleah combine her passion for KFC and marketing

Choosing vocational education and training (VET) offers a finger lickin’ good pathway to a successful career. Just ask Ammaleah Astruc, KFC’s Internal Marketing Officer.

For Ammaleah, KFC has always been part of the family. “When I turned fourteen, I started working at the store where my parents met,” she said.

Then when she turned sixteen, her KFC manager suggested she study a traineeship, a Certificate III in Retail, which she did at Caroline Chisholm College.

“The qualification didn’t just give me skills within the workplace, it gave me skills that I could use throughout any career pathway, such as communication and time management skills.”

Finding her passion

“It also made me realise my passions and what I wanted to achieve. I love content creation, I enjoy working with a diverse range of people and I love the culture at KFC,” she said.

Ammaleah went on to do a Bachelor of Communications and Media degree at the University of Wollongong, during which time she was offered the role of KFC’s Internal Marketing Officer.

“It was such an incredible opportunity for me to combine my passion for all things KFC and my dream of becoming a professional in the marketing and advertising industry,” she said.

“Internal marketing means within the company, while marketing is about creating content to advertise, promote or sell a product or service,” she said. “So for my role, I am communicating out to team members across Australia and keeping them updated on all the campaigns and iniatives we have coming up, such as our new monthly promotions, giveaways and communication updates.

“It’s a really fun job, I’m learning new things, getting amongst the cross-functional teams within the company and meeting professionals within the industry which is definitely my favourite part of the role,” she adds.

It all started with VET

However, she never forgets how vocational education and training kicked it all off.

“My Certificate III in Retail may seem little to some, but it has been a vital part of my journey as a stepping stone to begin my dream career in the marketing industry.

“The transferable skills I gained helped me go from talking to customers at the drive-thru to now communicating with 65,000 KFC team members across Australia. It’s been eye-opening in the best possible way.

“I never knew this was possible for me. I always knew I wanted to work in a job with people in an open space, I imagined the movie scenes of working in a marketing firm, but I never imagined I would be working in KFC head office,” she said.

“I also never imagined the pace of change. Food tastes evolve, our customer experience constantly improves and the way I work has already changed, particularly due to AI.

“I’m finding AI is transforming how I work with data and improving efficiency when it comes to repetitive tasks.

“For example, one way that AI is making my role just that bit easier is when I am trying to compile my analytics for the month from all my content. The task would usually have taken me hours to complete, and it is now only taking me a few minutes,” she said.

Kickstarting a career

For those thinking of a marketing career, what advice does Ammaleah offer?

“Make sure it is something you are passionate about and also be prepared to put yourself in uncomfortable situations to grow,” she said.

“Also, look at VET as an option to provide opportunities for you to become successful in any career. I don’t believe that TAFE or university should be considered better than the other because ultimately, they are both there to make all of us successful,” Ammaleah adds.

Reflecting on her own journey, she says the growth and experiences she has gained from using her qualification as a stepping stone to success have been nothing short of rewarding.

“If I could tell 17-year-old Ammaleah one thing, it would be this: all the hard work and conscious decisions made during those final school years were worth it,” she says.

Learn more about VET study options at Your Career here.