From Workshop to Workforce: Patience Terry’s Inspiring Career in Heavy Automotive Manufacturing
As students look to leave school and enter the workforce, it’s becoming more important than ever to highlight the incredible opportunities available to women in traditionally male-dominated industries.
Programs like QMI’s Women Who Weld (WWW) aim to break down barriers and encourage young women to pursue careers in the manufacturing industry.
In this inspiring interview, we sit down with Patience Terry, a former Gateway School student and now Cummins apprentice. She shares her journey and how the WWW program shaped her career choice. Her story highlights the importance of mentorship, hands-on experience, and the evolving role of women in manufacturing.
Patience, can you tell me a little bit about your current apprenticeship and how you got here?
At the moment I’m studying my Cert 3 in Heavy Commercial Automotives with Cummins. Pretty much becoming an engine specialist. My day changes day-to-day but generally speaking I work on between 9–35-liter engines. Servicing, rebuilds, pretty much anything you can think of that you would do with engines.
How long have you been in this apprenticeship?
This is my first year, I started the 1st of February.
Where do you see yourself at the end of your apprenticeship?
Once I finish my apprenticeship, I’m hoping to maybe go into a training role, possibly travel, that kind of thing, just see where it takes me, I suppose. I feel myself being in a machine specialist role with large engines but haven’t got too far into it yet.
Does Cummins offer this training qualification, or would you be potentially looking at TAFE for further study?
Yeah, I would look at further study through Cummins, because our engines are very unique and our technicians have to be very specialised in what we do, we actually do have our own training as well for our engines. So not only do we get to take that study up here, but we also have our own personal trainers who teach us both theoretical and practical. Yeah, it’s pretty cool.
Are you looking to stay in QLD and Australia or are you looking to travel wherever?
Anywhere honestly, I’m just excited to kind of see the world and meet different people. Excited to see what I can do, and how I can make an impact in different places. So, that’s what I’m excited for.
Best thing about your apprenticeship? What is your favourite work at Cummins and why?
Honestly, I have to say the people. When I think back to going into it, I was really worried about how I would be treated as a woman in the industry. It’s honestly been really great! Everyone's really supportive. I’ve made heaps of new friends, there’s lots of people who have a lot of knowledge and experience to offer, which is really cool. The work is pretty fun as well, like it’s different to what I expected, but I think now that I’m into it, I just find it really exciting. Like I love being there!
What kind of challenges (if any) do you find being a female apprentice?
Maybe somedays I find it challenging but not necessarily because of the company or anyone in particular, I mean we mostly specialise in engines, and we work with outside companies as well, so sometimes it’s the way that other people might treat you and it might seem funny to them, that I am a woman. Sometimes there’s some of those jokes and stuff that go around. If I ever do have any issues, there’s always somebody to talk to, which I really appreciate knowing that it wasn’t always like that for a lot for women that have been in the industry for like many years.
High School and QMI’s Women Who Weld Program
As you know Cummins has been a generous and enthusiastic supporter of QMI’s Women Who Weld program over the years. I heard you attended two Women Who Weld workshops while at Glenala State High School.
What kind of impact did those workshops have on you in choosing your current career?
Oh yeah, definitely. I actually attended three workshops in years 10, 11 & 12. So, in year 10, when I did the Women Who Weld Program, that was actually before our subject selection. So, I had no idea what I would be going into.
After the day (the WWW workshop) with Mr. Singh and everyone who came along, I realised that there was actually a lot more to the workforce that I realised and there are a lot of job opportunities. I also spoke to Mrs. Gibney and she kind of organised me some work experience, some certificates and stuff to try. I kind of just went from there.
I think the Women Who Weld program was probably one of the first kind of tastes of trade that I got to do, and I really appreciated the fact that was there for me. Otherwise, I’m not sure I would be in my career now.
What other experiences or opportunities in high school (or before) impacted your career decisions?
I’ve grown up with my dad who is a mechanic and my brothers who all do welding on boats and all sorts of things like that, I didn’t realise that was something that I could actually do too. I grew up very much thinking like, oh yeah, that’s their job. It was really awesome to see like, hey, this is something that people will actually support me to do! You know, like it’s not just being offered to men, it’s being offered to everybody, which I think is really important for girls to see.
Do you think having Women Who Weld as an all-girls session gave you the opportunity to try it out, rather than having boys included?
I definitely did a few different things where boys were included as well, and I think as high school students they can just be really nasty sometimes, what they say can impact you. I think definitely having an all girls program is good. I think it’s really important.
It makes you feel like you can be yourself, you can ask question, there’s no judgement and I think it’s also important that the people that go there to help out (with the WWW workshop) like I did this year are also women as well. Because I think that if you can see another woman there that makes you realise like, hey, this is possible.
I think it’s very important to be able to kind of see yourself on the team as well. It’s great that the men come to support, but I think it’s very much a day where women need to connect with each other.
What is it like coming back to your high school to assist with the Women Who Weld workshop?
Honestly, it was great. I was nervous but I think I realised once I got there, I was like, hey, I’ve matured a lot since leaving school. I think it was just great to kind of see some faces of girls that I didn’t think would be interested in that kind of stuff and it kind of just shows like if you give people the opportunities like this they’ll try out different things. They’ll explore what they’re interested in, so yeah, it was exciting.
Did you have any hesitations about joining the manufacturing industry before attending the Women Who Weld workshop? If so, how were they addressed during the workshop?
You said you kind of did because you thought it was more what your brothers, and dad did and not so much a career pathway you saw yourself in. Was there anything that your teachers or anybody else did to help with those hesitation and make you think, I could probably do this?
I think their support was really helpful. I did have a lot of doubts going into it, not fully knowing what I could do and how successful I could be. I was very worried about that and about what other people my age would think as a lot of my friends were going into university to study nursing or teaching or whatever and I was considering a very different path. I definitely did hesitate, but Mrs. Gibney's helping to get more work experience made it a lot less scary. I did work experience at another place and in the first week I saw only men and felt so nervous, but yeah, I think the fact that I was interested was helpful. I am so grateful to Mrs. Gibney and how she knows about all these opportunities in the area, but I also completed a six-month mentoring program for women in mining and resources, doing that program and having a mentor was also helpful as well. The apprenticeship was something I heard about, and I just thought I’m going to apply and whatever happens, happens. I was just lucky enough to get the apprenticeship. It was a long process because there’s some tests you had to do and a long interview process, but it was worth it.
How has the workshop changed your perspective on gender roles in traditionally male-dominated fields like manufacturing? Do you think your perception of manufacturing has changed since your apprenticeship?
I guess, maybe the kind of work I thought it would be, isn’t what I thought it would be. I thought it would be very physical 24/7, but it doesn't always have to be and there are different routes you can go down. Also, just realising that everyone starts off not knowing things. I worried I didn’t have a mechanical brain or that I wouldn’t pick it up, but the brain is clever with learning new things. Since starting I’ve been able to follow and am able to reassure myself that I do understand and that I can do this.
I think the QMI Women Who Weld programs are so important! Thank you.
What advice would you give to other women considering a career in manufacturing, especially those who might be unsure about entering a traditionally male-dominated industry?
The best piece of advice I could offer is just to ask questions, if you’re even slightly curious go explore! Ask someone even if they are only slightly related to the role or career interested in. You can Google and ask staff, teachers, anybody. Just by asking as many questions as you can and find out as much information as possible. That way you have kind of the best chance and the best opportunities.
Try not to be afraid to put yourself out there because I think that’s what can hurt a lot of people’s careers is they are not willing to put themselves out there or aren’t brave enough to ask the questions.
What I am trying to say is just try all the things, try these new things that come your way, you may like it.
Believe in yourself, ask questions and just give it a go.
Patience’s story is a testament to the power of persistence, curiosity, community and industry support in shaping one’s career. From her early days in the QMI Women Who Weld workshops to becoming an apprentice at Cummins, Patience has embraced challenges and seized opportunities to grow in the manufacturing industry.
To sum up her advice to young women considering a career in a male-dominated field is simple yet powerful: ask questions, be brave, and never hesitate to explore new possibilities.
We are excited to follow Patience’s journey and are confident that her experiences will inspire many more women to break into manufacturing trades and careers.