Not willing to wait for an opportunity to present itself the former Benalla P-12 College student found an apprenticeship via Goulburn Murray Institute of TAFE, wrote up a resume, and set out to find a business that would take her on.
It was about four months ago when Benalla Rural manager Shawn Spooner sat at his desk and Chanelle walked through the door.
“We were a bit busy that day,” Shawn said.
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“She told me she had been finding it difficult to get work during the pandemic, so I asked her to leave her resume.
“I was really impressed, so I started her on a casual contract, and she's been with me for about three months now.”
Shawn said in that time Chanelle had proven herself more than capable and he was excited to be able to offer her an apprenticeship.
“Since she started she has been mainly helping out in the shop,” he said.
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“She was a bit shy at first, but now she's been here for a while she has really come out of her shell, and is the friendly face customers see when they walk in.
“I have also been taking her out to livestock on client's farms.
“Last Tuesday, for example, she helped out with pregnancy testing cows.
“I'm really happy with her and how she is progressing.”
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Shawn said she was studying for a Certificate of Agriculture.
“She will move over to equine after her second year, so she can focus on horses,” he said.
“Once she is qualified she will have lots of options, and will be able to move into a range of jobs in the equine industry.”
Chanelle said she had found the role challenging, but fun.
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“My course starts in February, so I haven't done any study yet,” she said.
“So I've been mainly working in the shop so far, but getting to go out and visit clients has been a lot of fun.
“My goal is to work with horses and once I'm qualified I'd love to move into training horses or something like that.”
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