Hayden

Before I started upskilling, I worked as a Light Vehicle Mechanic in a performance workshop. In that role, I handled various responsibilities such as dealing with customers, managing bookings, performing the required work, and then handing over the completed car or project to the customer.

Born and bred in Melbourne, but I currently reside in Perth, so I consider Perth my home now.

Working in mining was always of interest to me. I just didn’t really know how to get into it or which path to take. Upon finishing up at my last place of employment, I came across the Blue Tongue program and thought it was a great way to get my foot in the door, gain experience, and enter the industry. It’s a nicely tailored program that fast-tracked me into the industry as well.

One of my old friends was in the program a few years ago, so I discussed it with him and then checked it out on Facebook.

I have been very lucky and grateful to work with a great group of people on my crew onsite. We all band together, share laughs, get along well, and collaborate to get the work done. We look out for each other and provide mutual support.

It’s like having a second family, another family, as such. So, that’s what I look forward to—working with a good group of people, enjoying the work, and the environment.

Through TAFE training and ongoing support, back and forth, Paul at Blue Tongue has been pretty great. There is always ongoing support, the phone is always available, or email, depending on whether I was working night shift and had things to look into. The ladies and the staff at Blue Tongue were really good.

I’ve been trying to twist a couple of friends’ arms to do it, but they are still pretty happy with what they are currently doing. There’s a whole big world out there.

It’s opened my eyes to a whole other area—being a mechanic and upskilling to heavy equipment, in mobile plant. It has opened the doors for future learning, development, and experience. So, that’s what I’ve been really grateful for. There is so much to learn, still so much to learn. Every day, I’ll probably learn something new or learn a better way of doing something. So, it’s always continual improvement, continual learning.

Working on bigger equipment is actually a lot easier due to their size and nature. There is more room and access compared to smaller equipment or light vehicles. The larger the machines, generally the easier they are to work on.

Dealing with Blue Tongue:

Just the whole way through, from TAFE to getting mobilised, they’ve always been pretty good with their communication, letting us know what’s going on. The key for a lot of people is having support, good communication, so they know what’s going on and what they’re up against. Also, knowing that if they are having issues, there are people available for support as well.

It has opened my eyes to an amazing career path—a path where I can continually grow, develop, and learn more things. That’s the main thing I’m pretty excited about.

What’s it really like? Real stories, real people

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