Constant variety and education

Motivated by her desire to be an electrician, Aelira quickly applied for the apprenticeship with CleanCo and says that her time so far has been filled with plenty of work variety because “every day is different”. Aelira relishes anytime she can “get on the tools” and “work with her hands”, saying that she’s constantly learning and growing in every part of her job.

“This place is amazing- we can make electricity out of water,” she said. “”There are so many aspects of hydro generation that I still don’t fully comprehend, but the sense of achievement after learning and understanding a new system is unmatched.”

The people make a difference

While there is no doubt Aelira has much more to learn, it’s all made easier by the team at Barron Gorge Hydro who make her feel very supported in her role. It’s a small cohort but Aelira had no issues settling in on the account of a welcoming team who are willing and ready to lend a hand and help out.

“We’ve got a really good culture around safety, we’re all supportive of each other and I think it’s a very friendly culture,” she said. “If we’ve got an issue and something mechanical happens, we can go talk to the mechanical team about it and vice versa if this issue is electrical– the cooperation is great!”

She jokingly adds another highlight of working at Barron Gorge Hydro is the lunchroom, which has been dubbed by team members (and even some locals) as the “best lunchroom in Cairns” because of its incredible view of the Barron River and surrounding lush greenery.

An exciting future at CleanCo

While here at CleanCo, Aelira wants to explore and learn about some of the other renewable energy assets in CleanCo’s portfolio, planning sometime soon to visit Swanbank Power Station and Wivenhoe Pumped Storage Hydro Station to see how they operate. She still has the majority of her apprenticeship to undertake but is looking forward to gaining plenty of experience.

“I’m excited to see the future growth of the industry- I know renewable energy is the way the whole world is going, so if you see the opportunity to go for an apprenticeship with CleanCo, do it!”.