WHEN Syrian man Yaser Abo Hamed arrived in Australia six-and-a-half years ago he couldn't speak any English - but he had a dream to one day work on an American cruise ship.

Since he was a little boy, Mr Abo Hamed had wanted to work as a personal trainer on a cruise ship and had been steadily working to reach his goal.

After having a job interview with an American cruise liner company a few months ago, the interviewer suggested he work on his English speaking skills before the next stage of the interview process in June.

Determined to get his dream job, Mr Abo Hamed spoke to Mission Australia who sent him to TAFE Queensland.

TAFE Queensland East Coast vocational teacher Anne Kettle was able to immediately enrol him in the Speaking Skills for Workplace Texts unit from the accredited course Certificate IV in Spoken & Written English and tailor the subject to his needs.

To practise his speaking and presentation relevant to his employment opportunity, Mr Abo Hamed explained to the class how to measure BMI, aerobic and anaerobic exercise, and nutrition, as well as instruct a fitness training session.

Mr Abo Hamed said he was now much more confident in the way he talked to his clients because they could understand him more easily.

"To sum up my TAFE experience in a few words, I would say: Professional, knowledgeable, flexible and friendly."

Last week, he attended another interview with the cruise liner company and scored his dream job.