Consider becoming an electrician

Out of high school I actually did two years of civil engineering at university. It wasn't something that I was particularly passionate about and I realised I really enjoyed working with my hands. I started my apprenticeship green, I'd never done any electrical work before. But within the first couple of weeks, understanding who I was working with and the work that I was doing, I knew that I'd love it.

I think my biggest tip for everyone thinking about starting an apprenticeship and going to trade school is to listen to everyone that you come across, whether that be school teachers, whether that be people on site. The more opinions you can get about how to do things is going to put you in a really good place to find what works for you and use that as you start to become more skilled as a technician.

Being new to the Australian workforce, I knew I wanted to work in an office environment and therefore I chose to do, initially a Certificate III, and then onto a Certificate IV in Business. I felt this was the best option because of the valuable skills it could provide me and for the knowledge it provided me about the fundamentals of business including finance, operations, human resources, marketing, and management. I think it provides very broad knowledge in which I could operate in various labour markets.

When I started my traineeship, I thought that my level of English was not enough to study or to work in an office, not to mention in a government department! Now I am proud of what I have accomplished and have learned to trust myself more. I have gained opportunities to stretch myself as I never believed possible, and have managed to surprise even myself.

I got a lot of experience from working with different projects in different places with different people, I really enjoy my work and also my study. While I lived in Afghanistan, I worked for a short time helping an electrician. When I saw what he was doing, I picked up some points and decided I liked the trade. When I got to Australia, I got the opportunity with NECA Education & Careers, and I got to learn everything about the trade. I always tell people, ‘Show me anything except the magic and I can learn it.’ My hope for after I finish my apprenticeship is that I can do something for the society in which I live.

It's been the best thing I’ve ever done. For my traineeship I was hosted to the Youth Defending Program as part of the Department of Justice. Throughout my traineeship I always had the ambition to ask as many questions as possible, stay curious and keep enthusiasm for the work that we do.

Upon completing my traineeship, I luckily got a 12-month contract with the same team I was working with, which I felt immensely happy about because I loved my team so much and I loved the work we did every day.

What I enjoyed most about the traineeship was being able to demonstrate my skills and abilities throughout a government-based sector and being able to show what I’m capable of, what I’m able to accomplish.

I believe the important thing for a workplace to support people with a disability is to be able to recognise and respect their abilities and skills that they demonstrate throughout the workforce and be able to congratulate them, be able to appreciate their input.

I chose to pursue a career in the human resources sector, but I knew that in order to progress in this industry I would require some form of formal qualification in addition to practical experience, and I saw the traineeship pathway as a perfect method of balancing these two aspects.

I was placed in the Employment Programs team within the People and Culture (Human Resources) branch of the Victorian Government Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions.

My most notable workplace contribution was disability awareness - my experiences allowed me to highlight employment challenges this community can face.

I won the 2022 Apprenticeship Employment Network Inspiration Award - Disability Achievement, and the 2023 Trainee of the Year Award at the Victorian Training Awards, in recognition of my dedication to work/study and efforts to enhance disability awareness.

Following completion of the placement, I obtained full-time employment as a Program Coordinator at Amaze, the peak body for autism in Victoria. In this role I work across all areas of the business, using the skills I acquired from my traineeship, to assist in achieving organisational goals relating to planning and delivery of initiatives to enhance the lives of autistic people.

You'll never come across anyone more experienced, knowledgeable nor "communicable" than Roy. Plus he's funny and has so many stories to elaborate what he's explaining at any one time. I'm always amazed how he remembers ALL the clause and page numbers of all the standards and regulations, which are continually changing as he and his colleagues revise them on the various standards committees. So thank you for arranging the best presenter at my last training session.

My whole family has worked in construction and it just really seemed out of reach. I'd never heard of a woman working on site. It just seemed unrealistic and not even an option. I looked into it and was able to see that pre-apprenticeships were an option that was the pathway to get into an apprenticeship.

I feel really passionate about particularly being a woman in the industry, supporting other women to get there, have their support on site. And I think that's what I could do well as a leader, as a leading hand, as a project manager.

Something I love about being a sparky is that every day is different. I got a real kick out of travelling on the train lines that I was working on. But I also get a real kick out of doing something that makes a bit of difference. Rail infrastructure is important, construction infrastructure is important.