A SUPERMARKET freezer upgrade changed the course of Mikayla Reinke’s career.
Now, the Capalaba apprentice has been recognised among Queensland’s best, with ambitions stretching as far as Antarctica.
Mikayla and fellow Capalaba refrigeration apprentice Blake Rasborsek each claimed category honours at the 2026 TAFE Queensland SkillsTech CSQ Apprentice Awards while Redland Bay electrical apprentice Summa Nicholson was named a finalist.
For Mikayla, the journey began in 2022 while working as a Woolworths night fill department manager, watching a refrigeration team upgrade her store’s freezer system.
She applied for the supermarket’s apprenticeship program, securing a place after a six-month selection process.
Now working with Air Boar, she won the Fluke Australia Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Apprentice of the Year award.
Her training continued through personal heartbreak when her father became terminally ill.
Mikayla hopes to work in Antarctica and eventually train future apprentices herself in her line of work.
For Blake, who won the Bailey Ladders Construction Apprentice of the Year award, family also helped spark his interest.
“My pop, who was a builder, was the one to get me into the tradie mindset,” he said.
Despite following an ATAR pathway and earning academic awards at school, he chose a hands-on career.
Through his QBuild apprenticeship, he has helped install and service air-conditioning in public schools across Brisbane, Ipswich and the Gold Coast.
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Summa earned a finalist place in the Milwaukee Renewable Industries category during her first year with Moran Power Solutions.
The three have taken different paths into their trades, with each now earning recognition while still learning on the job.
