Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall congratulated Armidale apprentice plumber Victoria Smith on receiving a Bert Evans Scholarship worth $15,000 for her training.
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She said the scholarship would help her greatly.
"I love my apprenticeship, but everyone knows apprentice wages are still quite low so this funding will really make a difference in setting me up as a qualified plumber," Victoria said.
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"I study at TAFE Tamworth so I am regularly travelling down the New England Highway from Armidale to attend classes, so this support will greatly help with my cost of transport, accommodation as well as buying new tools to do my job.
"I would really urge anyone who is currently doing an apprenticeship or traineeship to apply in the future."
Mr Marshall described Victoria as an inspiration to other young women considering the trades as a career, but nervous about taking the first step.
"Victoria is an incredibly motivated and confident young woman who truly deserves this recognition and support," Mr Marshall said.
"Only in her second year of plumbing, Victoria is currently working for Armidale-based contractor Inglis Plumbing, putting her skills to work on the Armidale Secondary College construction project.
"Undertaking a trade is a huge commitment and can take up to four years to be certified [and] another two to be licenced. I commend Victoria, who is also a mature age student, for being brave enough to embark on the journey to being a qualified plumber."
Mr Marshall said regionally-based apprentices, students with a disability, Aboriginal apprentices and women in non-traditional trades were all represented in the scholarship pool and will benefit from this financial support.
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