Apprentice Mum

Dedication brings qualification

Shontae Ellmers was fresh out of high school and about to embark on a new path in life getting her hands dirty and studying as an apprentice mechanic with Autotech Waipukarau. 

With more than four years on the job under her belt she still has the same enthusiasm for her work as she had in the beginning. 

She never expected to have a career as a mechanic - and getting pregnant halfway through her apprenticeship was an even bigger surprise. 

“It was a shock, and I was halfway through my apprenticeship, so I did take five months off,” she says. 

A surprise career 

No one is more surprised by her career choice than Shontae. Taking up an apprenticeship and qualifying as a motor mechanic was not even on her radar five years ago - her thoughts were on joining the army. 

But her interest in the job was piqued at Central Hawke’s Bay College when she undertook the MITO’s StartUp ® programme, which enabled her to have one day a week in the work environment. Once she got her hands dirty, she was captivated. 

What is also surprising Shontae says, is the number of females that have joined the industry since she started, not that being a minority ever put her off. 

“When I started at Autotech in Waipukarau there was one other female mechanic, other than that I hadn’t seen another female in the trade, but now there are quite a few,” she says. 

Key to getting her start in the industry was the local support she received from Autotech Waipukurau owners, Garry and Karen Wilson who were so impressed with her keen dedication during her work experience they offered her part-time holiday work, which eventually developed into a full-time apprenticeship. 

Local Freemasons heard about Shontae and came to the party supporting her with a $300 grant. And it didn’t end there, additional help coming her way with a $1,000 MITO scholarship. 

Aside from the surprises it is a career she loves and from day one she has enjoyed the work even though taking a break to have her baby was a little stressful, she says the great thing about the apprenticeship process was being able to pause her training during that period. 

No love of cars 

A real conundrum for some might be the juxtaposition of being a mechanic and not really being keen on cars, but that is how it is for Shontae. 

It’s not that she doesn’t like them it’s more about what they mean to her. 

“I have no interest in cars at all, I love working on them, but in the weekend when my partner who is also a mechanic is with his mates they will be talking about cars and I don’t,” she says. 

Fixing something that needs fixing is what she finds satisfying. Pulling the mechanics of a car apart, make something better than it was and finding out how they work, are the main drivers. 

Three and a half years into her apprenticeship Shontae was looking for a change and she moved seven kilometres north of Waipukarau to Autotech Waikawa. They were looking for a new team member and the fact it wasn’t too far from home fitted with her plans perfectly. 

Now out of her time she has plans to further her qualifications with an eye on Warrant of Fitness training, and she’s keen to complete any specialist courses that may come available in the future. 

Other than further study, one thing is for sure, Shontae loves the work and has no intention of doing anything different. 

“I love it so much I can’t imagine myself doing anything else,” she says.