Layla Hunter - Automotive Engineering (Light)

Layla Hunter would describe herself as a practical  person so when she was deciding where to study, she chose Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) for all the right reasons. A really close and convenient campus location made life easier for her as she settled into studying Automotive Engineering (Light) at SIT Christchurch campus in Hornby.

“It was closer to home, it was half the travelling distance compared to my other option”.

But the main factor for choosing SIT was the Zero Fees Scheme said Layla. Prior to starting the Automotive Engineering course, Layla had done a pre-health science certificate to pursue her love of science subjects. As she progressed, she felt more uncertain about committing to three years of study and the debt that came with it.

She changed tack and when she began learning on the automotive pre-apprenticeship qualification, she said “it just clicked in terms of feeling right”.

“Within a couple of weeks I found I was feeling much better about it than my previous choice”.

Layla enjoyed interacting and relating to her new classmates and taking her learning in a different direction. She was definitely the newbie in her course when it came to all things automotive.

“I was actually the only one in my class who had no previous experience with cars. Everyone else had some interest or connection with them”.

She said she learned all sorts during her nine months of study. Her course was a real good run-down of how cars work in general –  how they started, charging, servicing, electrical and electronic systems, steering, suspension and brake systems. By far, her favourite part of the course was taking apart a car’s engine, then rebuilding it.

Layla found the best part of student life at SIT were her fellow students and the camaraderie amongst them. She said SIT also provided some student activities to help everyone get to know each other, which helped.

“ I really enjoyed my classmates and the social interactions we had. My classmates made the whole course and experience a lot better”.  

In January Layla secured an apprenticeship with Komatsu New Zealand, a leading supplier of earthmoving equipment, parts and service for the mining, construction and utility industries.

After only eight months in the workforce, she is proudly student debt free,  “I’ve already paid off all my student loan!”. By choosing to complete her qualification with SIT, she also saved herself a whopping $5,500 on her Automotive Engineering course.

Layla has found herself in a career that’s traditionally been a male-dominated industry but she says there are no real issues with it. “I find the whole social side completely good – I get on well with everyone”.

There are challenges to face in her job because they’re dealing with such heavy equipment.
“To be honest sometimes I struggle with strength, but even the males do too. It’s just a really heavy industry we work in”.  

She is very clearly loving what she does every day, saying “after eight months in the job, I’m finding my feet, I feel really grounded”.

Layla can see a future for herself working for Komatsu and has goals to achieve there. Firstly, she wants to become qualified as a Heavy Diesel Mechanic, and then progress within the company.

“I really enjoy the company, the people and everything about it”.

And yes, Layla can and does fix her own car, but she’s pretty low-key about her achievements, “I just use my skills to keep it running from A to B”.