Women in trades

When Ila first stepped into the workshop at TAFE Queensland, she didn’t expect to be the only women in the room. But that didn’t stop her from diving headfirst into her engineering apprenticeship and quickly proving she could hold her own.

For Brianna Thirlwall, the road to becoming an auto electrician hasn’t been easy. But with determination – and the backing of her employer Glencore – she has not only pushed through challenges but risen to become the Female Trade Student of the Year at the TAFE Queensland 2025 Mount Isa Trade Excellence Awards.

50 young women came together at TAFE Queensland’s Townsville Trade Training Centre (Bohle) campus to explore the many opportunities available in construction, as part of the Constructing HER Career – Women in Construction event.

Zylah has found TAFE Queensland to have the perfect blend of the latest technology and traditional equipment and techniques to give her a well-rounded apprenticeship experience.

Newly qualified boilermaker Michael Koza, 37, was recognised as one of Mount Isa’s top emerging tradespeople at the TAFE Queensland 2025 Mount Isa Trade Excellence Awards, held on Thursday, 4 September 2025.

Double award-winner, new homeowner, and apprentice on the rise – 26-year-old Sarah Azzopardi is proving what’s possible with drive, skill, and a trade qualification behind you.

Sarah is excelling in her boilermaking apprenticeship, impressing her colleagues, employer, and TAFE teachers with her skills and attitude.

South Burnett’s rising star in welding, Brylie Jones, has added another accolade to her growing list of achievements. She was recently named the Harry Hauenschild Apprentice of the Year during a special ceremony for the Darling Downs and South West Region Queensland Training Awards on Friday, 1 August 2025.

Amy Stubbs will be competing for bricklaying glory when she represents Mackay on the Queensland team at the 2025 WorldSkills Australia National Championships.

Madison James leveraged her TAFE Queensland pre-apprenticeship training to secure the ongoing apprenticeship employment she's been chasing.

Breaking away from traditional career paths, husband and wife duo Jesse and Erin Bickford are rewriting the narrative —he’s a registered nurse, while she’s a skilled mechanic, proving stereotypes have no place at their dinner table.

On a 62-foot maxi yacht in the Whitsundays, Chelcie Jones faced a career-defining moment. The boat was drifting toward the rocks. The engine had failed. The pressure was on.