A BOYANUP teenager has been named 2014 WA Trainee of the Year at the recent annual awards ceremony held by the Government of Western Australia Department of Training and Workforce Development.
As the WA winner, Emma Hay will represent the state at the Australian finals to be held in Adelaide later this year.
Emma Hay chose a vocational education and training pathway while in year 11, completing a Certificate II in Business and Certificate II in Animal Studies.
She gained a part time traineeship at a local veterinary practice the following year, before starting on a Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing carried out externally through Polytechnic West.
Mum Linda said she is immensely proud of her daughter’s achievements.
“Emma has always been an ambitious and hard working student,” Mrs Hay said.
“She combined her traineeship with year 12 studies and was determined to complete her Certificate IV by the time she graduated from school. This provided her with an alternative pathway to university entrance and a qualification with earning capacity to help fund her future studies.”
The hands-on training ensured that Ms Hay was able to cope with all aspects of the job and it confirmed that the veterinary industry was the career path she wanted to pursue.
Emma is the first person in Australia to complete the Certificate while still at school, and the reward for her dedication was winning the Beazley Medal (VET) for 2013 and being named Polytechnic West Trainee of the Year 2013.
Emma plans to further her studies at Murdoch University, with the long term goal of becoming a veterinarian.
One of her hobbies is equestrian eventing, where she represented WA in national interschool and Pony Club Association events in 2011 in Victoria and 2012 in Queensland, where she was vice team captain for the WA team as well as 2013 in Perth.
