Linet’s hard work pays off

Youth & Careers

By LARRY ANDREW
THE determination to excel in life despite situations has paved the way for an Eastern Highlander to graduate with a certificate in truck laser alignment and in-pit axle correction training.
Linet Eomu, from Wayogpa village in Okapa district, is the only female mechanic from Mapai Transport.
She attended the laser wheel alignment training alongside five of her male colleagues.
Eomu is 32 and the first born of four children; she is married and has four children of her own.
She told The National that she completed Grade 10 and was offered a place to continue her education but due to school fee problems she did not continue her secondary education and was “out in the cold” for eight years.
That was when she decided to get married.
“I made up my mind that this was not the end of my education, so I applied to Malahang Technical School to take up heavy equipment fitting and I was accepted. We did not have proper classes in our first term because of disturbances and classes were suspended,” she said.
“We returned to classes in second term, had a term break and before the starting of term three classes, I decided to look around for companies offering job training.”
Eomu said she approached Mapai and group workshop manager Lionel Astwood accepted her.
“He told me I will work and not to go back to school,” she said.
“I gave him excuses to go back to classes because I did not cover some subjects but he made a case that I stay and work as there were no women mechanics. I accepted.”
The Okapa woman said she did not complete her studies but was happy to be working with Mapai Transport and had learned a lot from her male colleagues.
She said the company bought her a tool box and gave her a fulltime job.
“I love my job and this will be my fourth year. I love to work with my male colleagues whether the job is heavy or light,” she said.
“I am confident to work alongside them because of my willingness to learn new things.”
At Mapai, Eomu is specialised in the area of gearbox maintenance and equipping herself with the knowledge on wheel alignment using the laser system is a bonus in her line of work.
Her encouragement to women is to press on as there is nothing impossible or too hard to accomplish.