Emilie's scholarship win is easy as ABC

Chisholm Institute graduate Emilie Abad has won the third ‘2010 ABC Women in Broadcast Technology Scholarship’.

The Scholarship, instigated by the ABC to encourage the participation of women in the engineering and technology sides of the broadcasting industry, includes four weeks paid on the job training at the ABC and a $1,000 book allowance.

The Noble Park resident said she was ‘speechless’ to win the award.

“I didn’t want to apply for it at first because I thought I’d be too old,” Emilie admitted, “but my program coordinator at Chisholm, Damian Sampson, encouraged me to go for it so I did.”

The Scholarship represents even more of an achievement for Emilie as it comes after a difficult period of readjustment.

Emilie moved with her family to Australia in 2004 from her native Philippines. Having worked in the telecommunications field for 18 years at home, she hoped to find a similar role here.

But it was not to be.

Knockback after knockback convinced Emilie that entering the job market in Australia at her previous level of seniority was going to be impossible in the short term. After sending out numerous job applications without success, she took on roles in manufacturing and electronics assembly to make ends meet.

“Then three years ago I decided to retrain and update my knowledge,” Emilie says, “I knew about Chisholm and enrolled in the Diploma of Electronics and Communications Engineering. I completed this and went on to do the Advanced Diploma which I finished last year.”

The experience was to change everything.

“The teachers at Chisholm were really wonderful, friendly and encouraging,” she recalled, “When you hit a block or had a problem with understanding something, they would always help you through. My confidence really got a boost.”

Now, with her qualifications under her belt and a scholarship to boot, Emilie’s future is looking brighter than ever.

“I’m very grateful to have this opportunity to gain valuable experience and advance my career,” Emilie says modestly, “It’s exciting but also a bit scary because now there are expectations!”

Each year the ABC provides up to eight scholarships, awarded to women undertaking a technical discipline at a TAFE institution and committed to a career in broadcasting