Chantelle - HVAC&R Apprentice
Welcome Back!!
This week I spoke to Chantelle to hear her story. This is what she had to say.
Hi Chantelle, hope you're well, would you mind introducing yourself to everyone ?
My name is Chantelle and I'm a 2nd year HVAC&R apprentice from Western Sydney. I'm 25 years old and when I'm not in a roof space, plant room or freezer, I love hanging out with my friends at shows and festivals, listening to music & chilling out with my animals.
Sounds like you have a pretty good routine going on there. So first up when did you know that this is the career path you wanted to take?
In late 2019, I'd just wrapped up a business management course with my previous employer and I had felt like I had hit a wall. I wasn't enjoying my job as much as I used to, however the parts of my role that I did enjoy involved maintenance of equipment. I decided to hop onto SEEK and with the encouragement of my partner who is an electrician I started applying for electrical and refrigeration/air conditioning apprenticeships all around Sydney in the hope of finding someone that would take me on board!
Was it easy for you to take on this career path?
Admittedly, I thought I would struggle more with the transition from retail management to being an apprentice. It was relatively easy, and once I got into a routine, everything sort of fell into place for me.
Was this a career path you had to find yourself or was it suggested/made available to you through school/friends/family?
I applied for apprenticeships myself with the encouragement of my partner. I probably wouldn't have moved over to a trade without the support from him and I'm super thankful that he helped me.
It's amazing that you have such a supportive partner. Was it easy to find someone to take you on as an apprentice?
I applied for about 50 apprenticeships in 3 weeks time and landed 2 interviews. I was offered jobs from both interviews. It was pretty disheartening at first to not hear back from a lot of the companies I applied for, but I kept applying and ended up landing a job with an awesome company where I am now thriving and learning something new everyday!
Good on you for following your passion. So, Chantelle, what is it like working in a male dominated industry?
Overall, I think my experience has been overwhelmingly positive. I have had the occasional run in with other tradies that have made comments about the fact I am a female therefore I am not suited in their eyes to be doing a trade. However, over the last 2 years I have realised that it's not just physical strength that makes you a good tradie; and sometimes physical strength is not needed at all for jobs! Sometimes you need to be gentle, precise and have an eye for detail- so brute strength gets thrown out the window pretty quickly. Also having small hands sometimes comes in handy when doing jobs!
I love that you have taken it head on and put your strengths into a positive use.
What would you say is the biggest obstacle you've had to tackle in your career so far?
I have been afraid of heights for as long as I can remember. It's a phobia that I really struggled with at the start of my apprenticeship, but nearly 2 years in I can say that I'm getting used to it now. I have my over 11m boom license now and have completed jobs over 13m up in the air. Last year I never would have thought I'd be doing jobs that high up, but here we are. I still sometimes get nervous, but I just take it slow and steady and focus on the job so I don't look down.
Wow!! Sometimes the only way for us to conquer our fears is to just face them head on.
Whats your biggest achievement so far?
My biggest achievement to date would have to be getting through TAFE during the COVID-19 pandemic. I have successfully passed all my units (so far) and I'm keeping up with remote learning which in my eyes is an achievement for me.
In your industry, do you think you get as equally treated/rewarded as men?
Yes, I think I do. I am lucky enough to be able to say I have had a relatively positive experience as a female tradie, but I know there are women out there that are unfortunately treated differently to their male counterparts.
I'm glad to hear you are having such a positive experience,
Lastly, what do you wish was more available/taught to you in school to help you to get where you are?
I wish they offered metal work as an option at the school I went to. I also wish that there was more information offered to high school kids about TAFE courses and apprenticeships. There seems to be a lot of focus on going to university and getting an ATAR, or at least that was my experience in high school. Trades were never really discussed or offered as an option for me in school. There were open days offered for universities, but never any for TAFE institutes.
Thanks so much Chantelle for sharing all of that with us. You truly are an inspiration to all women in trades and those inspiring to be. We cannot wait to follow your journey and wish you the best of luck.
You can follow Chantelles story on Instagram @keepingbearscold
