How Alyssa blazed a trail for women in trades

Expert tips to help you do your best in this year’s VCE, plus meet the students doing Year 12 differently.

Alyssa Vella literally slaved over a desk during senior school. And a coffee and dining table, for that matter.

The budding furniture maker swapped textbooks for the tools during years 11 and 12, creating beautiful pieces that caught the eye of employers.

Vella is one of a growing number of students graduating from the VCE Vocational Major, eschewing traditional academics for hands-on learning.

Furniture maker Alyssa Vella is combining a love of woodwork with social media skills to challenge workplace stereotypes.

She built skills in woodwork and cabinet making, honed her skills in digital marketing and helped chart a path for other girls wanting to enter trades.

Her school week was split between the classroom, TAFE and donning high-vis vests for work placements at various furniture and timber businesses.

The former McClelland College student, now 18, says she never intended to take a traditional VCE path.

“I was never booksmart, so the VCE seemed too difficult for me,” she says.

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“I’m more hands-on and I like numbers, but I’m not really good with subjects like English. I did find the VM numeracy subject too easy though, so I was given the flexibility to do VCE general maths.“

Not only did she graduate with a high school certificate and a traineeship, but she earned plaudits from employers, teachers and the state government.

The Cranbourne North teen was recognised in the top seven Outstanding VCE Vocational Major students in the Premier’s VCE awards, won a Peninsula Applied Learning Association Industry Award and McClelland College’s Excellence in Industry Award.

Alyssa Vella’s success is encouraging other girls to take on a trade.

Vella also sharpened her social media skills by creating videos that challenged gender stereotypes, showcasing her craftsmanship – from sanding and oiling raw timber slabs to welding frames and building one-of-a-kind pieces.

Her Instagram following soon swelled to around 80,000. She was even asked to film and edit promotional videos during her work placements, which ranged from AIM Building Group and Australian Hardwood Co in Cranbourne West, Noble Country Furniture in Dandenong, and Able Cabinets in Dandenong South.

“As a woman in trade there’s a big stereotype that you are not as good as the men,” Vella says.

“I wanted to prove that I’m good at what I do, so that maybe the next women coming through won’t have to go through what I went through.

“At first, it was a bit of a struggle. But then as time went on, they became more relaxed with me and I kind of forgot that I am a woman in ‘their’ field. Now that I’m at a job and I’m settled, it’s much easier.“

She’s now doing a full-time traineeship at Australian Hardwood Co as part of a Certificate III in timber and wood products operation.

Looking back, Vella says it wasn’t easy being the only female student studying a trade at her school.

But now, others have been inspired to follow in her footsteps.

“I have had teachers reach out to me to say, ‘You are encouraging so many girls to go into the field that you’re in’,” she says.

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