What started as a hobby has become a successful career for Chisholm alumni Danielle Kazi-Shedden

Danielle started out young working on fitting caravans, but knew she wanted to do more. A trial in a shopfitting workshop convinced her she was on the right track, and she hasn’t looked back since. 

"I enrolled at Chisholm to study Certificate III in Shopfitting while I worked as an apprentice and what kept me motivated at Chisholm were the teaching methods and the workshop facilities available. The teachers were incredibly supportive and inspired me to become who I am,” Danielle says.

Now fully qualified and experienced in her trade, Danielle works for Melbourne shopfitting business Ramvek, which completes fit outs for hospitality, commercial and retail spaces across Australia, including many well-known retail brands.

"Being able to do what I love for a job means a lot to me. I wake up in the morning and actually get excited about what I have to do each day,” Danielle says. “What I love most about shopfitting is the variety of materials and designs that I get to work with.”

During her studies, Danielle won a raft of awards including Chisholm Apprentice of the Year, Master Builders Victoria State Apprentice of the Year and the Hanson Yunken Scholarship for Women in Construction. But there have been times when Danielle has found it challenging to be a woman in a male-dominated industry.

“I was determined be even better than them (males in her industry) and the awards I won have proven I can be,” she says. “My advice to anyone who is second guessing themselves about joining a non-traditional industry is to just do it. Try it out and work hard, get qualified. If I can do it, so can you."