Alexis the Welder
By Helena Van Soest
Alexis is a very friendly girl, but shy. Working in a retail store or restaurant did not suit her. She did not like to ask people ‘How’s your day?’ and engage in idle chit chat.
Alexis tried Child Care too. She is very good with children and always thought that would be her calling. However, the underlying ethos of childcare was not for her.
Alexis attended a workshop in Nuriootpa where she could try a number of activities: carpentry, mechanics, cooking, jewellery making, welding and more. Welding sparked her interest (pardon the pun) and she found not only did she like it, but she was also good at it.
We contacted a local business for work experience, to see how it all operated in the real world. Again, she loved it, and they loved her. By this time Alexis was 14 years old. She attended the business every Wednesday for a few months for work experience. At the age of 15, they signed her up as an apprentice (Cert III Engineer Welding). The business owner, aware of her young age, encouraged her to finish her schooling by doing a ‘school-based apprenticeship’ for the first year.
Alexis had been home educated, so this gave her flexibility to explore her interests and base her studies on these interests. In 2021 during Covid, Alexis went to high school, trade school and work. In this one year she completed Year 10, Year 11 and Year 12 (SACE), and her first year of the apprenticeship. Along the way she was also nominated to apply for Young Apprentice of the Year.
To achieve her goal, Alexis went to St Patrick’s Technical College three to four days per week. She went to work one day a week and attended trade school (TAFE) once a fortnight. She could have achieved this through most high schools or through home education too, however, she wanted to give school a go as this would be her last chance for the experience.
Yes, it is a male dominated industry. This doesn’t faze her though, she rises to the challenge and shows the boys how it’s done. Girls tend to have qualities the boys don’t have and vice versa. For example: boys tend to be stronger, girls tend to have a better eye for detail. Her employer uses these differences to everyone’s advantage.
As Alexis is now close to her fourth and final year of the apprenticeship, she thinks again of her future. She is only 18 years old and can easily do another apprenticeship. She’s not sure what, but she will get credit from this one for the next one, making it only two or three years to complete. She is also thinking about going into the mining industry in the future. She doesn’t feel confident to do this yet, but knows she will in time. Alexis is aware it will always be a male-dominated industry and there will be challenges along the way, but there are always challenges in every path of life. Alexis loves her job so much she says, ‘I wouldn’t care if they didn’t pay me, I’d do it for free’.
Otherways 178 November 2023
