It must be a good sign when the people you train come back to become trainers themselves. Across Victoria, AGA supports apprentices at every stage – from their first day on the tools to the beginning stages of a thriving career. For Lachlan, Jesse, Ken and Wendy, the journey has come full circle.

Each began their trade career with support from AGA (or Gippsland Group Training which later joined AGA), building hands-on skills that have now evolved into a commitment to guide others along a similar path.

Lachlan Ioannidis entered working life with some uncertainty, as most of us do.

“After doing a pre-apprenticeship I started applying for a few jobs without really knowing what I was doing,” he said. “When AGA got back to me, I didn’t really have any idea what they did, but I just went for it. I was pleasantly surprised at being given the opportunity to work with a range of companies and learn different skills in different areas and industries.”

As a young apprentice straight out of school, AGA placed Lachlan in a range of workplaces throughout his apprenticeship while also delivering the trade school element of his qualification. That exposure across domestic, commercial and industrial environments helped shape a broad understanding of why that pathway can be a good option for young school leavers.

“You make lots of good connections, meet lots of good people and you’re getting paid to study as well as for your work. You don’t have to fork out tens of thousands of dollars in HECS. There are a lot of benefits to it.”

During his apprenticeship, Lachlan thrived in the trade school component of his training. When his trainer suggested he had the temperament to teach, it set him on the path to becoming a trainer himself. He’s now been with AGA for just over four years.

It was a very different journey for Ken Kemp and Jesse Wurt. Both have decades of experience and set up their own businesses after first learning their trade under Gippsland Training Group – which later joined AGA.

Jesse still recalls the bone-chilling mornings of doing his boilermaker apprenticeship in Morwell.

“It was the coldest place on earth in the middle of winter,” he said. “I remember my instructor, Wal. He was great. And we were stuck in this freezing cold shed. But I do remember it being intriguing and fun.”

After running his own business on Phillip Island for more than ten years, Jesse took a year off to focus on his health. Returning to part-time work training VDSS students for AGA has allowed him to ease back into work without the frenetic pace and stress of running a business.

“The VDSS program gives some of the kids the option of seeing different options after finishing school. Like with plumbing, for example, there are so many different things you can do. That’s what it’s about, the practical learning. Because at school, they don’t really teach them or show them those skills.”

For Ken, there’s a sense of giving back to his electrical community. After over 40 years, he’d reached a stage in his career where he felt it was time to slow down. Becoming a trainer with AGA has provided an opportunity to pass on his practical knowledge and understanding of the industry.

“It was only supposed to be one day a week and that soon turned into five,” Ken said. “I just felt like it was something I really wanted to do. I’ve seen the good and the bad of the industry, so if I can pass on what I know, what’s worked for me and what hasn’t, that’s what I feel I really enjoy doing. And the majority of the kids I teach, they really want to learn.”

Wendy Lavell is the most recent former AGA apprentice to become a trainer for the Group. Things have happened quickly for Wendy who completed her electrical apprenticeship in February 2025 and is now training five days a week in Bairnsdale.

“I love it,” Wendy said. “There’s a real sense of satisfaction watching the kids get through the units that they’re struggling with. And then seeing them at their graduation, knowing that I’ve helped with that achievement at some stage of their journey.”

Having been an apprentice so recently, Wendy feels she can identify with what her students are experiencing.

“I remember how hard it was. There’s this thing called ‘fourth year-itis’ where you just want to give up and throw it all away. Seeing them get over that hurdle and realizing that the last part isn’t so hard. Seeing their faces when they actually achieve it, it makes me happy,” she said.

All three trainers have embraced the opportunity to help lay the foundations of their students’ futures, just as AGA helped shape theirs. Together, they represent what’s possible when apprentices are well supported by people who can bring their own experiences into the classroom.

Lachlan says it’s a role he can see himself continuing for some time and one that gives him the satisfaction of knowing his advice is cutting through.

“It’s the ‘click’ moments you get with the students,” he says. “Not necessarily the ones who get it straight away, but the ones who might struggle a bit at first. Sometimes, you have to adapt your own thinking to help someone else. The moment you cut through and they suddenly understand, that’s the good stuff.”

The thread linking these journeys is a strong workplace culture – one that builds relationships, supports development and earns trust over time. Each trainer knows what’s possible for the next generation of tradies coming through and the potential for long-term careers, diverse opportunities and a strong foundation to build from.