A Rosebery mother is on a mission to inspire other women to chase their career dreams after taking on a cadetship in her 30s.

Stephanie Whittle joined MMG’s Rosebery mine as a cadet process operator in February this year, after seeing the positive impact the mine had on the town of Rosebery.

Ms Whittle said after having her daughter at 18 years of age she thought she’d never get the opportunity to make a career change.

“I always wanted to work in mining but with no experience it made the dream a little out of reach for me.

That was until I saw an opportunity to apply for a cadetship at the Rosebery mine,” she said.

Since joining the mine, Ms Whittle has completed her cadetship as a process operator and moved into a permanent role in July.

Ms Whittle said the key to her success is being open to learning and growth opportunities.

“Where you come from doesn’t define you, it’s all about applying yourself, having a positive attitude and this helps you to achieve your goals,” Ms Whittle said.

“I have embraced every opportunity, whether its hands-on experience or starting my mine rescue qualifications, I wanted to give everything a go and make this career change a success.

“The role also provides me with the perfect work life balance, allowing me to continue to play an active role in my children’s lives while working a 7/7 roster.

Rosebery Surface Operations Manager Laura Moore said Ms Whittle has brought a vibrant energy to the team and has been a great culture fit.

“Steph has been an asset to the team, bringing a positive attitude and excitement about learning that has rubbed off on her colleagues.

Ms Whittles hard work was recognised earlier this year after she was highly commended in TMEC’s Women in Resources and Manufacturing Tasmania Awards.

“We are so proud of her achievements after she was recognized as runner up in the Outstanding Tasmanian Tradeswoman, Operator or Technician in Tasmanian Resources award,” Ms Moore said.

“Steph is a great example of the right opportunity and a positive attitude leading to a successful career change to an industry that she’s passionate about.”
The cadetship program was introduced to attract local new employees to the industry.