Nothing too heavy, nothing too high

Kiara Ellis_18 Old Scholar (Demo)

It’s National Careers Week, 18-24 May 2020, and what better way to celebrate careers and career development, and to spread the word that ‘a career is more than just a job’, by shining the spotlight on Old Scholar Kiara Ellis – a young lady taking everything in her stride.

Nothing too heavy, nothing too high for Kiara (Class of 2018), who visited the College to share her story.

As the only female student studying Automotive in her year level, Kiara was bound to be a standout, and at 17 years of age, Kiara landed herself a Heavy Diesel Mechanic apprenticeship working at Olympic Dam mine. The specialised nature of the job provided Kiara with exceptional experience on diagnostics, maintenance and repair of the different types of diesel engines used on site.

With a change in direction in March this year, Kiara has secured an apprenticeship in Civil Construction through registered training organisation Civil Contractors Federation SA. Hosted by BMD, a national group of companies engaged in engineering design, construction and land development, Kiara is learning the ropes in a new field, requiring new skills and knowledge, and in an area of work now officially recognised as a trade in the state of South Australia.

National Careers Week 2020 is an opportunity for Australians to consider the benefits of vocational education and training (VET) to launch or future proof their careers.