From Cutting Hair to Construction: Meet Monique

Swapping the scissors for cement!

This post is presented in partnership with Construction Training Fund.

There’s nothing quite like coming home after a hard day’s work and feeling like you gave it your all, right?!

At least that’s how Perth bricklayer, Monique Juratovac, feels after a big shift on the tools.

“I love coming home feeling like you’ve done a decent day’s work,” she said.

But it wasn’t always like that for the 22-year-old tradie, who started her career in a hairdressing salon.

After quickly realising cutting hair just wasn’t her calling, she took on the construction industry and hasn’t looked back.

We got the lowdown from Monique on being a woman in construction, her advice for other gals who might be keen to take on the challenge, and how Construction Training Fund (CTF) and ABN Training can inspire your jump into the industry.

Taking a leap of faith.

Monique left school at 14 to pursue a hairdressing apprenticeship because she said she "didn't know what I wanted to do with my life anyway".

“Even though I wasn’t enjoying it, I was just going to stick it out. But as soon as I was qualified, I started looking at other career avenues,” she said.

“Everything from policing [to] firefighting, retail jobs, but I really wanted to do another trade.”

It wasn’t until a random night of surfing the internet when Monique found bricklaying on the South Metropolitan TAFE website and it instantly sparked her interest.

“My mum said ‘if you want to give it a go, give it a go.”

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Monique juratovac (@aussie_brickiechickie)

"I absolutely fell in love with it."

Monique started working for free for a family friend one day a week to see if she liked bricklaying, which it's safe to say she did.

"I was doing every Monday for free with him for six to eight weeks until I started my pre-apprenticeship at TAFE, so I could build my strength up and learn more before I started," she said.

"It’s a physical job and I’ve always liked physical work – even with hairdressing, that was hands-on and attention to detail and that’s exactly what bricklaying is like. You have to have an eye for everything. I absolutely fell in love with it.

"The team I work with are amazing... we all just have a good laugh on site. And it’s awesome to do a feature wall and look back at what you built. Or even sometimes, if I’m around the area, I’ll be like ‘look mum, I built this house’."

It's something she wouldn't have been able to do without a fiery work ethic, as well as the team behind ABN Training who helped Monique through her apprenticeship. 

Without their support, training and opportunities, Monique said she wouldn't have been able to take on so many incredible challenges and succeed the way she was able to.

Being a woman in the construction industry.

While it may not have been easy joining a job dominated by men, Monique said it's certainly been worth it to pursue her dream.

“I guess my first couple of months to a year on site, because I overthink a lot... I was very insecure. I wasn’t a good bricklayer at the time, I was still learning. I thought ‘I’m a girl, I don’t know what I’m doing’ and I was freaking out,” she said.

"When I started out, I didn’t know if I could push a [wheelbarrow], so I was loading it up with bricks and pulling it from A to B in my backyard, just to build my strength up."

But Monique said it was only a matter of time before she grew to become more confident on site.

"Now, other tradies will make comments to the other boys and tell them how good I am and how I out-do them. That’s amazing to hear."

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Monique juratovac (@aussie_brickiechickie)

Breaking barriers and winning awards.

Monique isn’t just crushing stigmas and loving it, she’s also been getting plenty of recognition for her hard work.

“In my first year I got second Runner-Up Apprentice of the Year and Bricklayer of the Year, in my second year I got Apprentice of the Year, and in my third year I got Apprentice of the Year through the ABN Group and HIA,” Monique said.

Talk about kicking goals! And that isn't even all!

Not only did Monique win gold in the 2019 WorldSkills competition as a first-year apprentice, she was also the first female to win gold AND she said she “set the newest, highest regional record for WA”.

If you think the construction industry could be your calling, like it was Monique's, then an apprenticeship could be the perfect option for you.

And CTF can get you started. They can help you find your ideal job and put you on the right pathway to get there. They've even got opportunities to get you into the construction industry as early as Year 9, so check it all out here!

Header image: Instagram via @aussie_brickiechickie & supplied.