Light Vehicle apprenticeship perfect fit for Zara

First year Light Vehicle Mechanical Technology apprentice Zara Andonovski has always been a hands-on learner and wanted to work in an industry that she enjoyed going to work every day and learning something new every day.

After having the opportunity to attend university and completing a qualification, Zara realised the structure of learning she had completed left her feeling further behind rather than in front, “University was a challenge for me because I was heavily consumed in books and assignments and it felt like I didn’t have a balanced lifestyle,” Zara says. Finding an apprenticeship where she could learn practically in a workplace while earning money has given Zara that balanced lifestyle she was looking for while at university.

Starting her apprenticeship earlier this year at South Morang Toyota, Zara is the only female in the workshop and her first day was nerve-wracking but despite that, this the most welcomed and embraced she has ever felt out of all the jobs she has had, “being a female in a male dominated trade can come across as confronting and daunting, but in all the industry and job roles I have worked in, I have never felt so welcomed and embraced, working at South Morang Toyota I feel as if I’m part of a second family.”

The variety of problems that she sees fascinate and intrigue Zara every day and learning the solutions to fixing those problems. When asked what advice she would give to anyone looking at getting into the automotive industry, Zara says taking the leap into the industry is one of the best decisions she’s made, passing on this advice for budding apprentices, “Go for it! Take the chance to give every career option a go. I’ve always had a special love and interest in the automotive industry but was also hesitant about how far I would go.”

Once Zara completes her Certificate III in Light Vehicle Mechanical Technology, she wants to continue her studies in the automotive industry and complete her Certificate III in Automotive Electrical Technology.