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Canberra Today 13°/18° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Apprentice Michelle’s flying high

Michelle Tifan... “Being an electrical apprentice was a great combination of my science background and need to be outdoors” Photo by Silas Brown

SCIENCE graduate cum electrical apprentice Michelle Tifan has won two  major construction-industry awards in the space of a month. “I think the awards help to make me highly employable, and they open about 20 more doors to me,” says the third-year, ActewAGL apprentice.

Michelle, 30, won Apprentice of the Year at the ACT Regional Building and Construction Industry Training Council annual awards in early August, and also the Outstanding Woman in a Non-traditional Trade and Outstanding Systems Electrician Apprentice awards.

She followed up this success by winning the Future Leader award at the National Association of Women In Construction (NAWIC) ACT Chapter Awards for Excellence.

Having studied a Bachelor of Science with honours at ANU, then going on to work in the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and later the AFP, Michelle says it wasn’t long before she was desperate for a career change.

“I didn’t have a defined career path in mind when I did my degree, which was probably part of the problem,” she says. “I knew I wanted to stay in Canberra, but the public service didn’t work for me.

“I worked at the AFP in chemical intelligence, because I’d always been interested in forensics, but I found it frustrating to be in a desk-bound position where we had information that we couldn’t do a lot with.”

Michelle says that after what she calls her “quarter-life crisis”, and lots of tearful talks with family and friends “over wine and chocolate”, she worked out what she wanted to do.

“I needed to be hands-on, problem solving, doing something tangible each day that would help the community and the world at large, and I knew a trade was for me,” she says. “Being an electrical apprentice was a great combination of my science background and need to be outdoors – and it was a field in which I knew I could keep up with the boys!”

Michelle says she feels her background and experience have given her a good skill set, and she has no regrets about starting the apprenticeship relatively late.

“I wouldn’t change the experience I’ve had – it’s got me to where I am today, and I’m only 30 now, so I’m still a young buck!” she says.

“The minute I started the apprenticeship in 2009, I knew it was the right decision.

“I’m happy working in a male-dominated environment. It’s tough but fair. Here you’re treated as an apprentice, not as a boy or a girl.

“The guys are great; if you’re willing to learn they’re more than willing to impart information, and I’m learning so much. I think I breathe life into them, too!”

Michelle’s plan for the future is to continue with ActewAGL, she says.

“The support from the company has been fantastic, and I’d like to stick with my field and consolidate my skills,” she says.

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