A Personal Development Experience
“Trust yourself and go for it” – Light vehicle technician Madeline Chamberlin on the invaluable learning and personal development experience of trades apprenticeships.
The Australian Apprenticeship Support Services rolled out on 1 July to incentivise completing a trades apprenticeship via providing mentoring services. Facility Management sat down with light vehicle technician Madeline Chamberlin, the sole female technician at LSH’s Mercedes-Benz Brisbane Eagle Farm warehouse who services and repairs Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles.
Chamberlin is humble, passionate and forward-thinking. A fascination with electric vehicles (EV) and a proactive willingness to future-proof her skillset encouraged her to complete EV mechanics training under the Mercedes-Benz Global Training Space, where she aspires to achieve master technician status.
While grateful for her apprenticeship journey, Chamberlin wishes to see greater support and assistance allocated to apprentices in the form of tool allowances and in-person mentoring services.
Chamberlin – recipient of the 2021 TAFE Queensland Skillstech Apprentice Award and winner of this year’s Harry Hauenschild Apprentice of the Year Award to boot – describes navigating an apprenticeship as similar to learning a language.
“I knew absolutely none of the terminology,” she recalls. “It was a completely new field, something I’d never really dabbled in other than in my Certificate II, which was very brief, so it was a bit of a shock.”
Independent research and a healthy dose of patience were essential, alongside Chamberlin realising an apprentice automatically adopts the post at the lowest rung of the ladder. “You are at the bottom of the hierarchy. You’ve got to work your way up. You’ve got to put in the effort, otherwise you don’t get that respect,” she says.
Completing a trades-based apprenticeship undeniably has one of the steepest and most emotionally and physically draining learning curves of any profession. Chamberlin is now out the other end as a qualified light vehicle technician and brimming with self-confidence – further nurtured by her nomination for the Harry Hauenschild award. “I can trust myself a little bit more to make the big decisions and that my work is being noticed by people,” she says.
A gateway car
Chamberlin credits a car synonymous with escaping to the country and coast as her gateway into a love of mechanical work and automotive repair.
“My family did a lot of four-wheel driving and camping growing up, so I decided I wanted to buy an 80 series Land Cruiser.”
The diesel process decisively piqued Chamberlin’s interest when she was working on her beloved yet money-draining Land Cruiser. “I was very intrigued by the whole process of how it runs because it doesn’t have that electrical spark – it all runs on compression.”
Chamberlin details an experience all too familiar to Land Cruiser junkies – the high but rewarding cost of a Land Cruiser means there is not necessarily a generous amount of room left in the budget to outsource repair and maintenance.
“I just started working on it myself with help from a neighbour and really enjoyed it and had a lot of fun,” she says.
Prospect and promise from the get-go
After she graduated from high school, Chamberlin says uncertainty about what avenue to pursue saw her fall into hospitality work and volunteering. A lack of self-confidence prevented Chamberlin from considering mechanics as an achievable career from the get-go, however, her partner encouraged her to revisit her love for working on cars and she subsequently enrolled in an automotive technician TAFE course.
“I did my Certificate II at Alexandra Hills and my TAFE teachers recommended me to the WPC group who found me my current job at LSH,” she says. She joined LSH Mercedes-Benz Brisbane as a warehouse assistant in August 2020 and immediately expressed a strong desire to complete an apprenticeship.
Chamberlin demonstrated immense promise and potential – in addition to a commendable work ethic – as within three months of her 12-month contract, in November 2020, she started her apprenticeship. Time has flown for Chamberlin and her days are action-packed and with no shortage of excitement and challenges.
ESSENTIAL SERVICESFM INDUSTRYTECHNOLOGY AND SOFTWARE
“Trust yourself and go for it” – Light vehicle technician Madeline Chamberlin on the invaluable learning and personal development experience of trades apprenticeships
written by Helena Morgan 31 July 2024 0 comment
SHARE
0
The Australian Apprenticeship Support Services rolled out on 1 July to incentivise completing a trades apprenticeship via providing mentoring services. Facility Management sat down with light vehicle technician Madeline Chamberlin, the sole female technician at LSH’s Mercedes-Benz Brisbane Eagle Farm warehouse who services and repairs Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles.
Chamberlin is humble, passionate and forward-thinking. A fascination with electric vehicles (EV) and a proactive willingness to future-proof her skillset encouraged her to complete EV mechanics training under the Mercedes-Benz Global Training Space, where she aspires to achieve master technician status.
While grateful for her apprenticeship journey, Chamberlin wishes to see greater support and assistance allocated to apprentices in the form of tool allowances and in-person mentoring services.
Chamberlin – recipient of the 2021 TAFE Queensland Skillstech Apprentice Award and winner of this year’s Harry Hauenschild Apprentice of the Year Award to boot – describes navigating an apprenticeship as similar to learning a language.
“I knew absolutely none of the terminology,” she recalls. “It was a completely new field, something I’d never really dabbled in other than in my Certificate II, which was very brief, so it was a bit of a shock.”
Independent research and a healthy dose of patience were essential, alongside Chamberlin realising an apprentice automatically adopts the post at the lowest rung of the ladder. “You are at the bottom of the hierarchy. You’ve got to work your way up. You’ve got to put in the effort, otherwise you don’t get that respect,” she says.
Completing a trades-based apprenticeship undeniably has one of the steepest and most emotionally and physically draining learning curves of any profession. Chamberlin is now out the other end as a qualified light vehicle technician and brimming with self-confidence – further nurtured by her nomination for the Harry Hauenschild award. “I can trust myself a little bit more to make the big decisions and that my work is being noticed by people,” she says.
A gateway car
Chamberlin credits a car synonymous with escaping to the country and coast as her gateway into a love of mechanical work and automotive repair.
“My family did a lot of four-wheel driving and camping growing up, so I decided I wanted to buy an 80 series Land Cruiser.”
The diesel process decisively piqued Chamberlin’s interest when she was working on her beloved yet money-draining Land Cruiser. “I was very intrigued by the whole process of how it runs because it doesn’t have that electrical spark – it all runs on compression.”
Chamberlin details an experience all too familiar to Land Cruiser junkies – the high but rewarding cost of a Land Cruiser means there is not necessarily a generous amount of room left in the budget to outsource repair and maintenance.
“I just started working on it myself with help from a neighbour and really enjoyed it and had a lot of fun,” she says.
Prospect and promise from the get-go
After she graduated from high school, Chamberlin says uncertainty about what avenue to pursue saw her fall into hospitality work and volunteering. A lack of self-confidence prevented Chamberlin from considering mechanics as an achievable career from the get-go, however, her partner encouraged her to revisit her love for working on cars and she subsequently enrolled in an automotive technician TAFE course.
“I did my Certificate II at Alexandra Hills and my TAFE teachers recommended me to the WPC group who found me my current job at LSH,” she says. She joined LSH Mercedes-Benz Brisbane as a warehouse assistant in August 2020 and immediately expressed a strong desire to complete an apprenticeship.
Chamberlin demonstrated immense promise and potential – in addition to a commendable work ethic – as within three months of her 12-month contract, in November 2020, she started her apprenticeship. Time has flown for Chamberlin and her days are action-packed and with no shortage of excitement and challenges.
Madeline received a scholarship through WPC Group to travel to the United Kingdom to work for a week in Stockport.
From learner plates to provisional licence
An apprenticeship undeniably throws unexpected challenges and obstacles in the way of the new recruit. Chamberlin understood that she would initially be overwhelmed by a lack of knowledge. She vowed to leave preconceived notions at the warehouse door and gift herself a grace period for the extensive information download.
“Just because I did a couple of things on my car did not mean I knew how to do them correctly,” she says. “I made sure that when I came into my apprenticeship that I didn’t take in any prior thoughts or notions that I could do a particular job.”
Chamberlins’s entry into her apprenticeship was also made a little more daunting due to transferring from a female-dominated workplace to a male-dominated workplace. However, she admits it was not as taxing as anticipated and she has grown to anticipate men demanding respect, loyalty and attentiveness in a different way to women.
“I’ve found men value respect in the workplace and you have to work for respect a little bit harder than with women,” she says. “But once you have it, then you kind of always have it.”
She relies on a thematic analogy to describe the apprentice journey marked by extensive information absorption and skill acquisition in a very short period of time.
“In your apprenticeship, you’re on your learner plates and then hit your provisional licence in the first two years out of your apprenticeship, and then once you have a couple of years of experience, you’re properly on your open licence and able to conquer the roads,” says Chamberlin. She realised understanding her limits and boundaries was imperative, alongside extending kindness and patience towards herself during the process.
Chamberlin also realised the inescapable hierarchy and power structure that comes with trades. “You can’t just walk into a workplace, have absolutely no knowledge of what you’re doing and expect handouts,” she says.
Discipline and commitment will be honoured
Chamberlin took home both the 2021 TAFE Queensland Skillstech Apprentice Award and the north coast region’s Harry Hauenschild Apprentice of the Year Award in the first year of her apprenticeship after her TAFE teacher nominated her for the former accolade.
“This was super honouring because I was in a class of 15 people, so to be picked out of a bunch of guys that have that knowledge and language already up their sleeve was really nice,” she says.
Chamberlin’s apprenticeship journey revealed the importance of mentorship and having someone to empathise with both struggles and triumphs. The support and guidance from her mentor, Emily, were instrumental in helping sustain confidence in her abilities.
Her self-assurance was further solidified after she received a scholarship through WPC Group to travel to the United Kingdom to work for a week in Stockport, just south of Manchester.
“It was an honour to go over to a different country to represent us and who we are and what we do,” she says. Mechanics have enabled Chamberlin to unlock stamina and aim high without fear of failure or judgement.
“I’ve always been told my whole life that I was average. I was never great at anything, but I wasn’t below average, so to be considered above average at what I do now is really nice.”
Like a tradesperson without their tools
It is no secret that apprentice wages are meagre and unsustainable, therefore Chamberlin is grateful she was an adult apprentice and entitled to higher wages. “I was a little bit more fortunate with a high pay rate,” she says. “I did definitely scrape by though and you have to be really smart with what you earn.”
Chamberlin says an unavoidable and costly reality for all trades-based apprenticeships – yet especially mechanics – demands greater public attention. “In the mechanical trade, you need a lot of different tools and our tools are the most expensive tools in any trade,” she says.
“At LSH, it’s not too bad because you work on the same vehicles every day, but if you work in a small workshop and you’re seeing nearly any type of car, then you have to have a broad range of tools – and not all workshops have access to tools that might be specific to a job.”
Apprentices completing an Australian Apprenticeship in a qualification outlined on the Australian Apprenticeship Priority List can apply for an interest-free loan to assist in purchasing tools. The maximum loan amount is $25,643 (2024 to 2025) to be paid back in monthly instalments and only when a former apprentice earns an income above the minimum repayment threshold ($54,435 for 2024 to 2025).
Chamberlin argues that the Australian government should consider increasing work rates to cover for a sufficient amount of tool allowance. “To be able to do any work you need a better tool allowance and then apprentices can use the wage they earn to just live off,” she says.
“From personal experience of having a regular loan – although interest-free – it ultimately puts more stress on people. It also doesn’t mean apprentices will buy tools with it. I’m under the impression it’s to assist with living costs, but once it’s gone, then you’ve got higher expenses.”
As a qualified technician, Chamberlin receives a fortnightly allowance from her employer to cover tool expenses. However, this allowance could be increased to accommodate a tool’s life cycle. “I receive $37 a fortnight as a tool allowance, but this equals less than $1000 per year and a good set of ratchets or spanners that will last the brutality of work, cost no less than $300,” she says.
“You earn much less as an apprentice and that’s the time you have to start buying tools to be prepared to qualify and have the ability to do any job.”
She also confirms that working overtime was a matter of survival – which can become a barrier to entry for apprentices who are unable to work such hours. “I worked a lot of overtime, and if I didn’t work it, I would not have been able to survive.”
Madeline received a scholarship through WPC Group to travel to the United Kingdom to work for a week in Stockport.
Apprentice Connect Australia
Apprentice Connect Australia Providers help facilitate career advice and matching opportunities for budding apprentices or those already undertaking an apprenticeship. These services mainly work to help apprentices determine the most suitable qualification to study and the most appropriate form of employment.
The providers offer personalised in-training support such as pastoral care, counselling, industry mentoring, conflict resolution and referral to additional specialist services.
On 1 July, changes enacted by The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and Apprentice Connect Providers came into effect to improve the apprentice experience in Australia.
The changes mandate that Apprentice Connect Australia Providers be in dialogue with apprentices and employers before an apprenticeship commences to discern individual needs, help apprentices visualise short-term and long-term career aspirations and support employers to better comprehend responsibilities towards apprentices. Apprentice Connect Australia Providers also employ field officers to support and assist apprentices with needs that providers are not always able to deliver.
Alongside specific support promised for ‘women in male-dominated trades’, ‘First Nations Australian apprentices’ and ‘Australian Apprentices working towards clean energy jobs,’ apprentices are eligible to receive ‘mentoring services’ in the form of ‘pastoral care and extra support for those with complex needs’, ‘career guidance and advice’ and ‘peer support networks’. Staff at a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) can offer tutoring and mentoring in a safe and calm environment conducive to learning and collaboration.
However, if the mentoring services are offered via a hotline, Chamberlin is apprehensive about celebrating such services.
“My only problem with the support is that if it’s not a person, people will be less likely to call a hotline than someone that they know like a mentor,” she says. In-person support is more nourishing and beneficial, Chamberlin believes, and a hotline has a somewhat impersonal and clinical feeling – people may procrastinate calling a hotline as more accountability is placed on the already busy apprentice.
Chamberlin’s apprenticeship journey revealed the importance of mentorship and having someone to empathise with both struggles and triumphs.
Male-dominated workplace
Chamberlin says she has been “blessed” with a relatively supportive workplace despite the outdated macho connotations associated with mechanical work. Additionally, a bad first-day encounter catalysed the fire in her belly to ignore harmful gendered assumptions and develop resilience and grit.
“On my first day, I did have my boss – I think it was his way of testing me to see if I could stick it out – make a pretty rude comment and I stormed off to the bathroom and cried a little,” she remembers. However, she quickly realised that she was not going to let baseless comments from ignorant people destabilise her goals.
“You’re always going to have people that aren’t going to be your biggest fans possibly because of your sex or skin colour or ability,” says Chamberlin. “Some people will make comments to you no matter what.”
Choosing who to learn from
She reminds herself that absorbing critique from ignorant and insecure people is fruitless and damaging and those who scrutinise colleagues in the workplace due to unchangeable characteristics are not worth consideration. “They are not the people who you’re supposed to follow or learn from,” says Chamberlin. “You’ve got to pick the people who support you and encourage you, the people who will always push you to do more and go further.”
Chamberlin believes a certain mental clarity and communication style is capable of propelling her forward through most challenges and remaining unaffected. She has seemingly perfected the art of warehouse communication and holding autonomy and control in uncomfortable conversations.
“For myself, it was just learning how to navigate certain conversations so that it went down a route that I was comfortable with rather than letting somebody else lead it and then it being inappropriate.”
Early into her apprenticeship, over-analysis and self-doubt slightly stalled Chamberlin from speaking out and taking a chance, yet she received encouraging guidance from a colleague who inspired her to listen to her intuition.
“I worry a lot and constantly ask questions, and one of the guys turned to me and said, ‘Stop worrying so much. Trust yourself. You know what to do, just do it’.”
The future is electric
EVs have earned a prime slot in Chamberlin’s five-year plan. She is currently completing in-house training at her warehouse as part of the Mercedes-Benz Global Training Space. The training involves advancing through four stages – maintenance technician, systems technician, diagnostic technician and eventually reaching master technician.
“The world is always moving forward and electric cars are our future,” says Chamberlin.
“We’ve got a whole branch of electric cars – especially electric vans – coming in and we are honoured to be able to have in-house training rather than having to source training outside.”
As electricity is virtually invisible in cars, Chamberlin likens the process to working in the dark, which only further adds to the challenge and excitement. “Electric cars are hard because you can’t see electricity, so you’ve got to break it down and work in sections,” she says.
Chamberlin believes the training will further refine her diagnosis skills and is grateful for Mercedes-Benz facilitating the upskilling of its employees.
“I think this training will help us become better at diagnosis, because there’s 50 odd electrical systems in a regular combustion engine, so having that knowledge will help make the work we do easier and work on electric vehicles easier as well,” she says.
Chamberlin also rejoices in the inclusive possibilities of EV, particularly for people with complex physical disabilities.
“The way EVs are designed with regenerative braking would be so beneficial to someone who is a paraplegic,” she says.
However, as discussed in a previous interview with Push Mobility co-founder and co-able managing director Shane Hryhorec, current EV charging bays fail to accommodate people with disabilities.
“A lot of the charging bays are so far away,” admits Chamberlin. “Our infrastructure for electric vehicles is really low at the moment, so we need to work on a better infrastructure in the city regions and outside city regions so everyone can travel freely.”
Embrace challenges and rewards of apprenticeship
In addition to completing in-house EV training, the next five years will see Chamberlin pursue career ascension within the warehouse. “I don’t expect to work my way up to service manager within five years, but reaching workshop controller would be fun.”
Above all, she urges people to dive headfirst into an apprenticeship and embrace all the challenges and highlights of the learning and personal development experience.
“If someone wants to start an apprenticeship, just trust yourself and go for it. What’s the worst that can happen? If you don’t like it, you don’t finish it. Or if you finish it, you don’t like it and you still finish it, and you come out with a qualification.”