❝ When the Road Got Tough, Eddie Changed Course.

Eddie Easton was born and raised in Gunnedah, the vibrant country town in north-west New South Wales affectionately known as the koala capital of the world. Eddie was brought up to value hard work, education, and the importance of gaining a trade at a young age and encouraged to pursue a trade by his father, who didn’t have the opportunity to complete a trade of his own.

In 2019, at just 16 years of age and with his Year 10 ROSA, Eddie left school and set out to find employment as an engineering apprentice.

Eddie approached Stripes Engineering, part of the Gunnedah-based Stripes Group that supplies materials and construction services for the growing civil, infrastructure and mining markets across Australia. During an interview, Eddie spoke about his passion for building new things and his desire to learn how to weld.

Eddie’s apprenticeship with Stripes Engineering began in January 2020 but by March of that year, COVID-19 had hit Australia and Eddie’s studies had moved online. He found this challenging and as time passed Eddie realised he’d need more support to understand the requirements of his training and finish what he’d started. Taking his future into his own hands, Eddie made the switch to a new training provider. He was welcomed to Community College Northern Inland’s Gunnedah Campus at the beginning of 2022.

According to Eddie, his experience completing the last two years of his trade qualification has been positive with understanding teachers who want him to do well and achieve in his trade. The hands-on approach to completing the practical work within his own workplace has helped Eddie to feel supported and he’s happy to have made the change in training providers even though it was hard at the time.

Eddie will complete the MEM30319 Certificate III in Engineering – Fabrication Trade in December 2023. He’s excited to see what this means for his future: “Completing this trade qualification will give me options in my professional life and the ability to follow my career dreams.”

Since leaving school, Eddie has shown a great maturity and resilience, navigating his education while working, buying his dream ute and moving out of home. A country boy at heart, Eddie enjoys camping, fishing, and spending time with his family and friends and is a proud member of the Gunnedah Bulldogs Football Club.

In November 2023, Eddie’s journey was recognised on the national stage when he was named a finalist in Community Colleges Australia’s Community Education Student of the Year Award.