YEAR 12 Industrial Studies student Sophie has been rewarded for her hard work and focused approach with a hard-to-get electrical apprenticeship with Rio Tinto.
During the year Sophie attended a morning tea for women interested in working for Rio Tinto and she was also there when Rio came to North Lake for an information session. These events proved to be very valuable. “I attended because my teacher Greg Hartmann told me about it so I went to get more information,” Sophie said.
While she was always keen to become an electrician Sophie enjoyed the variety of experiences she received in the Industrial Studies course. “I took on the course to get certificates and knowledge in other trades even if it wasn’t the one I was focusing on (electrical),” she said. “These qualifications actually helped me get my apprenticeship as Rio Tinto told me even if I have qualifications in other areas, any qualification will help me get noticed and give me a higher chance of getting the job.”
Sophie said North Lake helped in many areas of her studies. “All the teachers pushed me to be my best, they taught me how to stand out from the rest when applying for jobs and I have no doubt that was one of the reasons I was hired. North Lake also allowed me to take on responsibility and do things for myself, it gave me insight to the reality of life after school.”
Sophie will begin her apprenticeship soon. It is a fly-in-out job on an eight-day on, six-day off roster flying to and from the Yandecoogina mine site in the Pilbarra (95km north-west of Newman).