Samantha Icely has been awarded the 2024 Heavy Commercial Vehicle Apprentice of the Year award by TecNQ.  

The awards recognise the very best apprentices in a variety of trades in the regions of Cairns, Townsville, and Mackay. Samantha also received a cash incentive to further her career and was praised for her passion and commitment to growing her skills.

With only 1.4% of mechanics in Australia being female, Samantha is part of a very small cohort. At Ventia, we hope the example of women like Samantha will increase that percentage over time! 

Samantha works as part of Ventia’s Defence Maintenance Contract (DMC) team, who are the trusted industry partner for the maintenance of some of Defence’s newest and most unique heavy commercial vehicles. This type of equipment comprises more complex systems than regular small vehicles and she finds this work much more exciting than sitting behind a desk.

Samantha says, ‘I was shocked when my name was announced but felt extremely proud of my achievements. It was great to be recognised for all the hard work that I have been putting in”

Her manager Wayne Nutchey says “Samantha works hard and deserves this achievement. "

I hope that other young women see someone like her and see that this type of career isn’t just for the boys. Having women on the team is great for culture and bringing new perspectives – I hope that interest in this type of career continues to grow

Congratulations to Samantha for this important achievement. 

Interested in a career in Defence? Learn more about Careers at Ventia below

Careers at Ventia