Transgrid Pre-apprenticeship helping women forge careers in energy

This month seven women graduated from Transgrid’s 2024 Pre-apprenticeship Program for Women.

Transgrid Early Careers Resourcing Advisor Kailee Standen said the program attracts applicants from a wide range of backgrounds.

“Doing a pre-apprenticeship is an excellent opportunity to try a trade before you commit to the four-year full-time apprenticeship. Applicants come from many different career paths to get a taste of the electrical trade to see if it is the right fit for them.

“This year, we had women join us from various fields including, nursing, labour work, site administration, bartending, customer service and design,” Kailee said.

During the five-week course over March and April the participants received hands on training in electrical trades, practical skills, knowledge of the high voltage electricity industry.

“The Pre-Apprentices also had the opportunity to complete two learning modules giving them a head start in the Certificate III in Electrotechnology to help set them up for a potential career in energy,” she said.

Among the 2024 graduates is 31-year-old ad designer Annette Erickson from the Blue Mountains.

“The pre-apprenticeship was very cool. I appreciate the amount of effort and resources Transgrid put into this program to make such an incredible introduction to the industry, what electricity is and what tradespeople do. It has really encouraged me and I’m very excited to go into a trade,” she said.

*Annette Erickson at her graduation form the Pre-Apprenticeship Program

Over the past two years five pre-apprentices have gone on to full time employment with Transgrid.

Hayley Hewson is now a first-year Substation Technician Apprentice based at Yass after enrolling in the program while she was in Year 11.

“I was looking for a job that was supportive of women, and I found that Transgrid was very good with that, and the pre-apprentice program was an amazing experience,” she said.

Since Transgrid launched the program in 2021 a total of 31 women have completed the training.

Learn more about Transgrid’s Pre-apprenticeship Program for Women here.

Transgrid media contact:

Jonathon Hall 0428 413 708