While many in showbusiness can confirm the wisdom of the old adage: never work with children or animals, for one former Norton Radstock College student, working with animals is exactly what has led to his appearances on TV.

Matt Williams studied for a BTEC National Diploma in Animal Management at the college from 2006 to 2008 and has since moved to Australia.The 25-year-old works at Alice Springs Desert Park, training birds of prey such as eagles, kites and owls and other creatures as part of the park's programme of public presentations and animal encounters.

In his role, he has appeared in front of the camera on daytime TV Down Under, as well as working behind the camera for various filming projects, with organisations such as National Geographic. He has also been interviewed on ABC radio – the Australian version of the BBC – about his work at the park.

After leaving Norton Radstock College, Matt went on to study Zoology at Reading University, before moving to Central Australia on a working holiday visa. There he found himself in a very hands-on role, catching and removing venomous snakes and reptiles from homes and business premises with the Alice Springs Reptile Centre.

Matt says his studies at Norton Radstock College gave him a great start on his career path: "Studying for the National Diploma in Animal Management provides students with such a broad range of topics in regards to this type of employment," he said.

"For anyone entering this field, it is unique in the way it sets the foundations for future work.

"For me, it gave me the opportunity to start thinking and learning about animal biology, behaviour and how to manage animals in a captive environment. One example of the way in which it set me up to succeed was working on individual research projects.

They further encouraged me to follow this particular path and gave me the tools to carry out similar projects at university."