Tayla Gall doesn’t think her career journey is anything special, but in an industry where women still represent only a small percentage of trade roles her progression from apprentice to engineering student tells a different story.
Tayla grew up living with her mum in Sydney but travelled to Singleton often to spend time with her dad and grandfather before she decided to make the Upper Hunter her home. Looking back, she said a trade wasn’t something she initially considered.
“I actually wanted to be a zoologist,” Tayla laughed.
“But I think I’ve always leaned towards hands-on work. At school I did woodwork and growing up my dad and grandfather were always building or fixing something. I was the kid holding the flashlight. I think that’s really where it started, just being involved.”
Tayla was 15 when she started her Certificate II in Electro-Technology, completing the two-year course with the plan to become an electrician.
“It didn’t quite feel right though so I ended up spending the next year working as a dog groomer trying to figure out my next move. I kept seeing fitting and turning pop up everywhere and something about it just stuck with me. So I decided to start an apprenticeship though my timing wasn’t great as it was during covid which didn’t make it easy!
“There was definitely self-doubt, wondering if I was good enough or if I really belonged in that space but I’m glad I pushed through that. Once I started, everything just made sense. The machining, the precision, the problem-solving, I loved it. Every step I’ve taken since has built on that foundation. It didn’t feel like just a job, it felt like something I genuinely wanted to get better at.”
Tayla finished her apprenticeship at Morgan Engineering as a fitter machinist, qualifying early in her third year, but that drive to learn more, to know more was still unsatisfied so next she began studying fluid power, completing a Certificate IV.
“Then about six months after I finished that course I realised I still wasn’t done learning. Through the trade I learnt how to fix things and how to make them work but I started craving the why. Why does this system operate the way it does? Why was it designed like this? That curiosity is what pushed me into engineering.”
Tayla is now studying a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering while continuing to work in industry, a balance she says would not be possible without the support of Morgan Engineering. She first connected with the company in the last year of her apprenticeship and credits the team with backing her development from the outset.
“Morgan Engineering has supported me not just now while I’m studying, but earlier on as well. They’ve always encouraged me to keep progressing and to look at what the next step could be.
“Whether it was supporting my apprenticeship completion so I could pursue further qualifications or backing me while I take on engineering, I’ve never felt like I had to choose between working and learning.
“It makes a huge difference when the company you work for genuinely wants you to succeed. It’s not just about filling a role. It’s about developing people. I’ve been lucky to be somewhere that sees the value in that.”
Morgan Engineering General Manager, Jeremy Brett, said the engineering industry needs more talented women stepping into it and the company is committed to being part of that change.
“Welcoming Tayla back to our team and supporting her while she continues her education exemplifies our strong commitment to our ARD (Attract, Retain and Develop) strategy and reflects the culture we are building here: one that values skill, safety, and opportunity.
“If someone is willing to put in the work, we will back them – because that aligns with our values.”
Balancing both uni and work hasn’t been easy but Tayla said being supported at both work and at home makes all the difference.
“It’s definitely busy, but it’s manageable. My partner has been incredibly supportive and taken on more at home so I can focus on study when I need to. It also helps that I have a ton of hands-on experience.
“Though I have had a few funny looks at uni when I say I already have a trade. A lot of engineering students come straight from school, so my path is a bit different. But I actually think having that real-life experience on site will make me a better engineer. I understand what it’s like on the tools and that perspective matters.
“As a machinist, someone hands you a drawing and you take this big lump of steel and turn it into something precise and functional. There’s real satisfaction in that. Now I’m enjoying being on the other side of it – looking at a problem and thinking, I can design the solution from scratch. That’s exciting to me.
“I’ve found something I genuinely enjoy and I want to understand it at every level. I want the skills, the knowledge and the experience so that wherever I end up – whether that’s on site, in design, or even in Antarctica where I have always dreamed of working one day – I know I’ve done everything I can to be the best at it.
“If you’re even thinking about a trade just do it. Hard work and determination count for a lot more than anything else. You don’t need to know everything on day one. You’re an apprentice for a reason. It’s okay to make mistakes, it’s just not okay to hide them. Own it, learn from it and move on.”
While working in a mostly male environment has had its ups and downs, Tayla believes things are changing for the better.
“At the company where I began my apprenticeship, before joining Morgan Engineering, I was only the second female they’d ever hired and the only one who had stayed longer than six months. In my first week I had a coworker come straight out and tell me I shouldn’t be there because I was a girl.
“But on the whole I’ve never been made to feel like I didn’t belong. On the tools if something is genuinely too heavy no one has ever told me to just deal with it. There’s always been support and I think it’s important that young girls know that, know that there is a place for them in this industry.
“You’ll always get the occasional bad egg but it’s not the culture anymore. It doesn’t define the workplace. And now when I walk onto site, I’m rarely the only female there. Seeing more women around makes a difference. It normalises it.”
Tayla said with that comes practical changes across the industry.
“For example the coal board medicals have been adjusted to better reflect female anatomy and realistic expectations. A five-foot female and a six-foot male shouldn’t be measured against exactly the same physical benchmarks. That kind of change shows the industry is evolving.”
One of the women who has influenced her journey is Hannah Legg, a local engineer and tradeswoman and director of HER Engineering, Machining and Maintenance.
“I first came across her on social media and then ended up working under her supervision on a shift.
“Watching what she’s achieved – multiple trades, industry recognition – it showed me that there isn’t a ceiling just because you’re female. Seeing someone from your own region do that makes it feel attainable.”
Despite that, Tayla remains reluctant to frame her own story as inspirational.
“I don’t really see myself as inspiring. I just see someone who found something she loves and decided to keep learning. But if another girl reads this and thinks, maybe I could do that too, then that’s a good thing.”
