For Mitchell Reid, a dream years in the making has now taken flight. The Australian Trade College North Brisbane (ATCNB) graduate has headed to Wagga to begin a plumbing apprenticeship at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Training Base.
“I signed up for both the Army and the Air Force just to see who could get me in earliest. The Army intake wasn’t until June next year and I didn’t want to wait that long, so I’m going to the Air Force,” Mitchell said.
“Ever since primary school, I’ve wanted to be a soldier or something, and then I got really interested in plumbing. I really do value plumbing so to be able to put those two things together is really cool.”
Before enrolling at ATCNB halfway through Year Ten, Mitchell was feeling overwhelmed by the workload and complexity of the traditional high school structure. Inspired by a neighbour who became a successful electrician after studying at the College, Mitchell decided to make the switch. After trying his hand at a few different trades, he was drawn to the call of plumbing.
“It’s a bit of a different environment to regular high school. It definitely improved my learning experience and helped my grades go up. The support you get and the simplicity of the curriculum suited me better. And the whole trade focus was the biggest thing. It was way better for me,” Mitchell said.
At the beginning of this year, Mitchell stepped into leadership roles as a First Nations Leader and Student Ambassador for the College. The experience gave him the chance to contribute to his community and to connect more deeply with his cultural background.
“It’s been a journey that I started in Year 11 and went through Year 12,” Mitchell said. “The Guidance Officer at the College has been really helpful with that. Helping me learn more about my culture and connect with people who have similar cultural backgrounds. It’s definitely been an interesting journey. I got to reconnect with the culture of my ancestors which is pretty cool. I really liked that.”
Mitchell said ATCNB has been pivotal in preparing him for life after school. He earned his Certificate II in Plumbing, a requirement for his Air Force application, and completed 12 weeks of work experience which gave him a solid introduction to the trade.
“I think the culture at the trade college definitely toughens you up for the real world,” he said. “Especially things like finding work experience and finding an apprenticeship and life things like that. They’ve definitely showed us what the real world is like. It’s pushed us out there, which I think is a really good thing.”