Ella Brieschke’s future is positively glowing, thanks to her Ai Group Apprentice and Trainee Centre (Ai Group ATC) apprenticeship.
The 17-year-old Year 12 student is undertaking a school-based Cert III in Electrotechnology and credits it as the springboard to an exciting career, during which she envisages FIFO stints and having her own business.
The Brisbane teenager spends two days a week at host company Aggreko and the rest of the week at school.
“Mum and Dad have always encouraged me to do a trade,” Ella said, as the Ai Group ATC celebrates World Youth Skills Day 2024 today.
“As a kid, I was always on the tools in the shed with my dad, working with cars and boats – anything that had a motor or wheels.
“Uni has never appealed: paying to get an education didn’t sit right with me.
“Doing an apprenticeship made sense, given working with my hands is something I liked doing.
“It’s been a fantastic opportunity, especially since I’m already completing units and time towards my apprenticeship, rather than waiting until I finish Year 12.”
Ella completed TAFE Queensland’s Trade Taster Program in Year 10 to help her decide which path to follow.
“It allowed me to experience plumbing, carpentry and electrical and ended up pointing me in the direction of electrical,” she said.
“There are so many benefits of doing a trade. You’re getting paid to learn and you’re not owing anything at the end. If you can start at school while living at home, even better.
“You may choose to follow another path later on, but you’ll always have your apprenticeship to fall back on.”
Ella has identified many opportunities her apprenticeship will bring.
“Once I do my four years, I’ll become a qualified sparkie,” she said.
“I’ll do FIFO work for a few years then come home and hopefully set up a business with my younger brother, who’s doing a refrigeration apprenticeship and plans to become a refrigeration mechanic like Dad.
“The Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2032 will bring a lot of opportunities for tradies. A lot of infrastructure will need to be put in place.”
If school and an apprenticeship were not enough, Ella also has a part-time job in hospitality, bar tending and waitressing at the local pub.
It’s a work ethic that hugely impresses Ai Group ATC Area Coordinator Qld Jenni Southern.
“Ella is an amazing apprentice who successfully manages schoolwork, a part-time job and a school-based apprenticeship,” Jenni said.
“She is focused on being the best she can be and commits herself 100 per cent while at work or TAFE.”
The Ai Group Apprentice and Trainee Centre is dedicated to developing the skills and talents of young individuals across Australia. On World Youth Skills Day today, we proudly acknowledge and celebrate the importance of empowering youth through apprenticeships and traineeships. By partnering with Australia’s best host companies and providing quality training and mentoring and career development opportunities, we equip our apprentices and trainees with the essential skills needed to succeed in their chosen industries. Our commitment extends to creating pathways to sustainable employment and nurturing a skilled workforce that contributes to economic growth and innovation.
Happy World Youth Skills Day!
Wendy Larter is Communications Manager at the Australian Industry Group. She has more than 20 years’ experience as a reporter, features writer, contributor and sub-editor for newspapers and magazines including The Courier-Mail in Brisbane and Metro, the News of the World, The Times and Elle in the UK.
