Melinda

Waste of ATAR?

Feeling burnt out from study during her final year of VCE, Melinda decided to pursue an apprenticeship as a fitter and turner with a manufacturing company she had done work experience for. She also wanted to gain the balance of practical and theoretical work. 

At the time, Melinda’s school didn’t offer much information about trade pathways, but her careers counsellor helped research how they could make it happen. She commenced her apprenticeship the day after her final exam and enrolled in the Certificate III in Engineering – Mechanical Trade at Swinburne. 

Melinda initially faced criticism about ‘wasting her talent’ by forgoing traditional university for a trade – labelled as ‘not the best use of her academic skills’ given her above-90 ATAR. Rather than be discouraged, this spurred Melinda on. 

A champion for trades

During the next seven years, Melinda won several industry accolades including Apprentice of the Year in 2014 and acted as a government ambassador – speaking at high schools about her journey to success.  

Melinda says the misconceptions around a trade apprenticeship – being only for those with lower academic scores – may be part of the reason girls in particular do not follow this route.  

"There is so much technical work I do, such as coding and high precision machining, that requires a large amount of skill and knowledge – not just heavy labour. In the field of aerospace manufacturing, there is currently only two percent of females employed. There is no reason why this can’t be much higher."

The student is now the teacher

Melinda credits her achievements to having a supportive employer who was willing to invest in her career. She has since gained experience with other companies and completed further education through Swinburne.  

The most rewarding part of her job, Melinda says, was training new apprentices. Now, Melinda is a Senior Trades Educator at Swinburne who helps support 800 apprentices coming through the trades department. 

"What I loved about aerospace manufacturing was having stringent processes and systems to get the best quality output. Teaching is the same. I love the technical aspects of it – being able to influence the coursework and drive the best outcomes for my students." 

Melinda’s advice to school leavers considering a trade is to seek out as much information as possible. And most importantly to find the right employer – one who fosters growth without judgement.