Narrogin’s Poppy Blohm is a finalist for the WA traineeship of the year for her brave career journey

A Narrogin woman has been selected as a finalist in a Statewide vocational training award, and is determined to use her voice to spark passion and bravery in other young women interested in agriculture. Poppy Blohm was selected as a finalist for the 30th WA trainee of the year award on August 5 for her courage as a young woman in automotive sales and agriculture. Raised in Perth, the 20-year-old moved to Narrogin to begin her Certificate III in Automotive Sales in February 2021 at Central Regional TAFE with no prior rural experience. She aspired to work in live export but organisations such as Elders had no traineeships available, so she was thrown into machinery. Ms Blohm said it was a huge risk accepting the opportunity for the automotive sales traineeship but she always loved learning new things. “I was just really interested in learning about something I had no idea about,” she said. “I loved coming to work every day and learning something new. “It was difficult at the start because we lost our parts manager and we had no direction. “As someone who was young and had no idea what I was doing, I was forced to step up in my role, which has been great.” If successful, Ms Blohm said as an ambassador she would encourage others to find a career in agriculture. “It would be good to open up people’s eyes, especially girls, as it’s difficult and you don’t see many in machinery,” she said. “They say ‘Oh, it’s too daunting, I’ve got no relation or experience, I’ve got nothing, how can I step up into it?’ “They don’t know how many avenues are advertised to help people who aren’t already involved in agriculture.” Ms Blohm said her customer relationships at AFGRI Equipment elevated her confidence when training and it was her favourite part of the job. “Being able to help people during busy times like seeding and harvest is really nice,” she said. “I have my own experience and knowledge and can help people find solutions.” As an apprentice in 2023, Ms Blohm was awarded the Central Regional TAFE award and named the John Deere parts apprentice of the year.