June 6, 2021

Meet Jillian Nikic | Second Year Apprentice at WesTrac

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Jillian’s enthusiasm for her apprenticeship is contagious. Check-out how much fun and fulfillment she’s found with WesTrac.

She was raised to value hard work, love Fords, and ever since high school she’s loved old pick-up trucks.

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“When I was trying to figure out what to do at uni – none of it was very interesting to me.”

But what did interest her was helping her dad, who was a light vehicle mechanic.

“I was intrigued to get on the tools with him. I wanted to know more.”

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After dedicating two years to a law and social science degree, Jillian decided to take a break from Uni to find something that inspired her more.

“Dad suggested WesTrac. They were just down the road, so one day I just pulled in and pressed the button to talk to HR. I ended up in a Trade Assistants’ job, before later applying for an Apprenticeship.”

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“I was uncertain whether I had what I needed to get the apprenticeship – whether I was capable. So, when I was accepted it felt really awesome.”

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“I get to do heaps of cool things. There’s great exposure to different machines. I can now reverse park a bulldozer!”

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“My Mum was originally a little on the ‘are you sure this is what you want to do’ side. But she’s stoked now she sees how much happier I am, and how much I’m loving it.”

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Jillian has some advice for any other young women considering an Apprenticeship:

Trust your gut – that’s how I’ve made all my important decisions. Deep down you know what you wanna do. There’s no point not trying something, otherwise you’ll always wonder ‘what if’.”

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About the Author
Jacynta Clayton’s career started in recruitment advertising and employer branding, working with global clients to create and deploy strategic and creative content. Now she combines her industry experience with the knowledge from her psychology and professional writing degrees to write unique and resounding stories. As a WORK180 storyteller she relishes the opportunity to elevate the voices and experiences of so many amazing people, while also empowering and educating audiences on how to choose a workplace where they can thrive.

Looking for a new opportunity?

Our transparent job board only has vacancies from employers we endorse and lets you see what benefits, policies and perks come with the job.