Jasmin Simmons first applied for the role of Library Trainee more than two years ago because of her love of books. 

Since then, she has made the role her own. Jasmin has been a vital part of introducing new technology to the SuniTAFE Library. 

Jasmin is currently completing Certificate IV in Information Technology (ICT40120) as part of her traineeship. 
This qualification informs her work in the library in a number of ways. In addition to offering customer service to staff and students, Jasmin gets to experiment with new gadgets. 

“A large part of my role at the moment is 3D printing, mainly dealing with requests and getting the printer set up,” Jasmin said. 

Her involvement in this arose as a bit of a coincidence. 

“The I.T. department were clearing out their space and they had a 3D printer that they no longer needed. I happened to mention that I have one at home that I’ve used before, and from there they decided that the Library could have the printer,” Jasmin said. 

“We used the one printer for a while and then it just grew. We have 3 printers now, and a bigger one is on the way for next year.” 

The Library, or Learning Resource Centre, offers more than just books to staff and students. They offer a wide range of resources to enhance the learning process. 

Jasmin has been able to create objects with the 3D printers that have done just this. 

“We’ve all been trying to push 3D printing through to any and every department that we can for educational purposes. We’ve made models of hearts, lungs, kidneys, and bones for Nursing. For the Automotive department, we made a brake calliper and transmission gears,” she said. 

“Some of these models can be taken apart and put back together in the classroom so they can see how it all works and fits.”

While she enjoys these fun tasks, Jasmin says she prefers the projects where she’s forced to tinker with something to find a solution. 

“The Automotive department approached me one day and they had little hose connectors that continually break because they’re taking them in and out of machines a lot. This means that they’re often buying new parts to replace them,” she said. 

“So, they asked me if I could make them instead. I held onto it and I spent a bit of time drafting up my own version of it. I printed it off and it was a perfect fit!”

“That kind of task, where I have to design and tinker and make things that work for a very particular solution is what I love.”

Jasmin is enthusiastic about having more women study Information Technology and join the industry. 

“I.T. is traditionally a male dominated industry but there’s certainly a lot more women getting involved. There’s a lot of workshops that are aimed specifically towards women,” she said. 

“That’s not to exclude men because they can also join, but they are designed to convey the general idea of ‘hey, you can do this too.’ That goes for any part of the technology space, not just I.T.”

As Jasmin nears the end of her Traineeship, she is excited to see how her role at SuniTAFE continues to grow. 

Interested in studying Certificate IV in Information Technology (ICT40120) at SuniTAFE? Click here to find out more. 

Or, to learn more about the SuniTAFE Library, click here.