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RESOURCE PEOPLE FEATURE – Rising to the top: Inspiring trainee overcomes adversity

In the coming editions of AREEA’s fortnightly News Update, feature stories will be highlighted from the Autumn 2019 edition of Resource People magazine.

You can also click here to view the digital version of the magazine in full.

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Rising to the top: Inspiring trainee overcomes adversity

Behind the 2018 Australian Apprentice (Trainee) of the Year is a tale of triumph over adversity – and a shining example of what can be achieved through determination.

Kimberly Brewster was crowned 2018 Australian Apprentice (Trainee) of the Year.

HOMELESS AT the age of 19 with two kids under two, Kimberly Brewster is an inspiration to young people – especially women – to never give up on shooting for the stars.

Ms Brewster is not only a role model for those striving for a rewarding career in resources and energy, she is also testament to why traineeships should be considered a serious career kick-starter.

But her journey to becoming Australia’s leading trainee was far from straight-forward.

After completing Year 12 just three weeks before the birth of her first child, she was soon a young mum with two kids under the age of two.

Ms Brewster experienced a stint of homelessness and was facing an uphill battle after putting her career goals on hold for motherhood.

Through self-determination, she refused to succumb to a life of welfare dependency and under achievement.

“Having two children under the age of 19 with minimal support was very tough,” Ms Brewster said.

“I worked in retail, hospitality and in a pharmacy, and slowly built up my skill set. However, I came to realise that to advance in your career, qualifications are the key.

“The only thing that was stopping me was the financial difficulties, which is why a traineeship fit me so well.”

Ms Brewster secured a place in a Vocational Education Training (VET) course, and as a trainee of services provider Programmed, joined host company ConocoPhillips Australia as an administration trainee to complete her Certificate III & IV in Business Administration.

As a trainee she spent most of her time at the Darwin LNG facility and immersed in the site’s safety and operations.

“I organised and scribed meetings, assisted all departments, general administration tasks and was an active Behavioural Safety Program committee member,” Ms Brewster said.

“I was also involved in the 2018 scheduled major shutdown period on site.

“My direct supervisor was seconded to the shutdown team and management trusted me to be the sole administrator for the operations team throughout that period. This is where I was able to showcase my abilities.”

With no previous experience working in a large company or in business, Ms Brewster saw every task as an opportunity.

“Starting off, I had never worked with a large company or in business before,” she said.

“I found that everything I did, from filing to organising meetings, was a learning opportunity.”

Joining a Behavioural Safety Program committee and working with colleagues to help reinvigorate a 12 year old safety program was a high point in building her leadership skills.

“I was involved with recreating templates, organisation of committee meetings, included in safety discussions and barrier removals, and being one of the day shift members that helped cascade communication across four shifts,” she said.

Kimberly Brewster has showcased the career development opportunities from a traineeship.

She has now completed her traineeship and commenced a Diploma of Business, continuing to advance her career in the new role of Building Services Coordinator, undertaking a wide range of administrative and coordination duties at the ConocoPhillips Darwin city office.

And her up-skilling is only just beginning after admitting to catching the ‘study bug’.

“I’d like to stay with ConocoPhillips and continue to bring integrity and diversity to the workplace,” she said.

“Being an administrator has helped build my fundamental skills in business, however, a career goal of mine would be to become a part of a team in a specialised field, either in HR or within projects.”

As an inspiration to other fledgling women looking to carve a career in the sector, Ms Brewster’s advice is to discover the VET world and find the traineeship that suits chosen career goals.

“A traineeship gives you the best of both worlds: a kick start for your career and a nationally recognised qualification,” she said.

ConocoPhillips senior human resources business partner, Carly Sherren said the company was incredibly proud of not only what Ms Brewster had achieved with the Darwin LNG team, but also of what she has achieved in life in general.

“Kim encapsulates the definition of resilience and what can be achieved when you set yourself a challenge and don’t give up,” she said.

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