Known to everyone except his mother as ‘Jono’, Jonathan McAsey is an apprentice fitter and turner tradesman at Foodmach.

The Echuca-based manufacturer builds large-scale production lines for companies including Mars, Asahi and Cadbury.

The company produces palletisers and destackers, machines that stack boxed products onto pallets for delivery to supermarkets.

Jono's connection with Foodmach started with work experience at age 16 in 2023.

The company quickly saw his potential and invited him back during school holidays as a casual worker at proper pay rates.

When they later offered him an apprenticeship, he turned it down, but on his own terms.

“I said, I wanted to finish Year 12,” he said.

“The only way I would come to Foodmach would be if I had done my schooling.”

With the help of careers co-ordinator Lorelle Pearse at Echuca College, Jono negotiated a School-Based Apprenticeship and Traineeship with Foodmach, something the company had resisted until Jono came along.

During his VCE, Jono also completed a Certificate II in Engineering, which allowed him to fast-track his trade schooling, alongside subjects including biology, PE and production design.

Now 19, and in his third year of the apprenticeship, Jono is on track to complete his trade qualification by age 21, with his Year 12 certificate already in hand.

He said finishing school has kept his future options wide open, including the possibility of university.

Foodmach's work takes Jono’s colleagues to job sites across the country, but Jono has only completed on-site work in Melbourne so far but he is keen to travel further afield as his career develops.

His advice to young people entering the workforce is straightforward.

“You want to have a direction; you really want to know where you want to go,” he said.

“If you don't know, try and leave your options as wide as you can.

“If a school-based apprenticeship is available, I would at least give it a go.”

He also encouraged students to make the most of work experience, even in fields they may not initially find appealing.

His one regret is not trying more workplaces himself, though he is quick to acknowledge Foodmach has been an excellent fit, being close to home and offering strong apprenticeship opportunities.

Jono was one of the speakers at the recent Beacon Pathways Pledge ceremony, speaking to local students about possible career paths and their employment journey.

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Sunday, 7th May 2034

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