Brayden Goulding: An apprenticeship leads to a long career in the gas distribution business

Brayden Goulding
Field Supervisor – Gas Distribution

Career snapshot

As a young bloke not long out of school, I was tossing up what to do. My father-in-law worked for the Group and suggested I apply for an apprenticeship with the business. There were eight spots available that year and I was fortunate enough to be successful.

I started in Sydney North and the role was a big change for me – I didn’t know what a gas meter looked like when I started! As an apprentice gas service technician, I started learning the ropes and day-to-day maintenance tasks in the gas distribution business. I also had the opportunity to spend time in other sections of the gas business to see what potential future opportunities there could be.

I’ve been with Zinfra for 8.5 years now and I’ve recently been promoted to a field supervisor position, within the gas distribution side of the business.

Prior to this I was a crew leader on the repair and maintenance side of gas distribution.

Working at Zinfra

I work with a close crew – we have a laugh but we get the job done. I get along really well with the people I work with. Having such good working relationships makes coming to work easy.

Our days can go from zero to 100 which is great for me as I don’t like to sit still. It’s a dynamic role, we could be doing a gas disconnection at one job, then called to support a response to a gas release. Every day is different, it’s never boring that’s for sure. We’re always very busy, especially with all the recent rain.

There’s a real family culture at Zinfra. I’ve made friends for life within the company. The style of work we do - it’s one of those jobs where you create many friendships because you need to work together and I’ve created bonds that I really value. You cross paths with many different people and get exposure to different areas of the business.

Diversity and inclusion

The team I work in has people from all walks of life. Our leaders give us a common goal and we work well together to achieve it, regardless of where we’ve come from - and we have a good time doing it! Everyone is given the same opportunity regardless of their professional background.

Our crews are young but there’s a wealth of experience in our business. There is a strong level of knowledge from our supervisors and mentors who point us in the right direction when we need support.

I was fortunate enough to work with good operators who taught me a lot, and I want to pass on what I’ve learnt and I take great pride in teaching others – I see it as a win for me and win for Zinfra as a company. It’s great to give exposure to new apprentices coming up the ranks and help them in their learning journey.

Career opportunities

My advice to someone considering applying for a role at Zinfra is to do it. You’ll have a job for life and the variety and diversity on offer means it’s impossible to get bored. There is so much to learn and do, you could go anywhere in the company.

In 8.5 years, I’ve had two different roles and I’m aiming to progress my career further towards becoming a supervisor. I’ve lived and breathed it since I started. It becomes a big part of your life.

I’ve got a young family now and having leaders who ask about your family and about your life outside work creates a great feeling and makes me feel more motivated to come to work and do a great job. Leaders do regular check ins with their teams - You feel looked after, valued and supported all the time.

It’s a great company to work for.