The road to your ideal career pathway is not always a straight line, and for some it’s about acquiring a broad range of skills along the way. Mary MacKillop Catholic College Year 11 student, Lucy Hutchison has proven that and in doing so has been awarded the School-Based Apprentice/Trainee of the Year Award at the Darling Downs Queensland Training Awards evening. 

Lucy has shown how her passions have turned to possibilities and now this award puts her in the running against students from all over Queensland in the Queensland Training Awards in Brisbane later this year.

This award recognises the power of skills, displaying the hard work and dedication that is essential in completing a traineeship. Lucy has shown her determination in completing her Certificate III in Business in under 10 months resulting in multiple job offers, setting her up for life outside of school.

The Darling Downs Training Awards evening was a beautifully set up cocktail event that celebrated everyone who walked in the door from training organisations to local businesses to trainees. The atmosphere was welcoming making it the perfect opportunity to network with all people from the Darling Downs.  Mary MacKillop Careers Development Practitioner, Jennifer Stevenson said “It was an absolute honour and privilege to attend this event with Lucy and see her being celebrated for her commitment to exploring her career pathway. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for Lucy.” 

For a Year 11 student, Lucy has been quite busy already preparing for life after school. In Year 10 she began her Certificate III in Aviation which taught her the tangible skills of flying a drone among many other skillsets, but she wasn’t finished there. Mid-way through Year 10 she decided to undertake a Certificate III in Business school-based traineeship with MET Phys in Highfields and completed it in record time. All this whilst collecting micro credentials, like her Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA), as the opportunities presented themselves.

Now Lucy is preparing for what she describes as an ‘unorthodox pathway’ away from offices or desks and into a career that will keep her on her toes. She has recently been accepted into a piloting program after she graduates Year 12 securing herself a full-time job. She can’t give too much away just yet, but for Lucy, the sky’s the limit!

 We are wishing her the best of luck for Queensland Training Awards in September. You can see more about Lucy’s journey on the College’s Instagram page.