Powering through challenges on a trades training journey
For Brylea Eaves, a career in the trades was a natural choice. With an automotive technician father and a strong interest in hands-on work, she had a clear direction after finishing school at St Peter’s College in Gore.
Brylea began her automotive apprenticeship with AdvanceQuip, and after a change in ownership, continued her training with MIMICO Gore—where she successfully completed her qualification and remains employed today. Now working in field service, her days are filled with breakdowns, hydraulic repairs, and equipment servicing. She finds the variety engaging and motivating.
L-R: MITO Training Advisor Matthew Watson, Brylea Eaves, and MIMICO Gore Branch Manager Tony Billyard.
Recently Brylea achieved a major milestone: completing MITO’s New Zealand Certificate in Heavy Automotive Engineering, with a strand in Plant and Equipment (Level 3 and 4). But her journey wasn’t without its challenges.
“I’m severely dyslexic and struggle with comprehension as well,” she explains. “I was struggling enough keeping up with the writing, all the written stuff, the theory stuff, as well as doing the practical training.”
Determined to succeed, she reached out for literacy support through MITO. With the help of her literacy tutor Annette, she found the confidence and tools to complete her qualification.
“Annette would come in at 3:30pm most Thursdays,” Brylea says. “I spent a couple hours with her, just working away. We’d look at which assessment was almost ready and which one I was aiming to have done that month.
“It reiterated the confidence that I could actually finish it off—I could actually do it, as at one point I wasn’t going to. Without the support, I’d still be going now.”
Grateful for the guidance, Brylea even sent flowers to Annette to thank her. “She was a godsend,” she says simply. “Couldn’t have done it without her.”
Now, having completed her Plant and Equipment qualification, Brylea’s confidence has grown and her perspective on her career has shifted.
“My outlook has definitely improved,” she says. “Confidence is one of those things—some things you know and some things you learn as you go.”
Her advice to others facing similar challenges is simple but powerful: “Honestly, you’re so much better off getting the help. No one’s going to think worse of you.”
With persistence, practical support, and steady effort, Brylea serves as a reminder that with the right tools and people, anyone can succeed.
To learn more about careers in the automotive industry, visit mito.nz/driveyourfuture
