Gabriella Swaby was a trained beautician in suburban Melbourne but now she is designing 3D-printed safety equipment for global electronics giant Siemens.
The 27-year-old Swinburne student met Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in Berlin, where the global design team is examining her design to potentially roll out around the world.
"I have a pretty diverse background, so I came into this course with no knowledge of anything," Ms Swaby said on Monday.
An Australian government program connecting Swinburne with Siemens gave Ms Swaby the chance to work with the German company as part of her studies.
When a "critical product oversight" needed rapid alteration, Ms Swaby designed, refined and 3D printed a safety cover to meet all Australian safety regulations.
Her new design is now installed on multiple demonstration kits used in training sessions all over Australia.
Siemens' global 3D printing team is now reviewing Mr Swaby's design and she has been offered a job.
"The guy that has offered me the position actually used to be a German apprentice. He said the way the German infrastructure goes, had I come from the previous position I had, I probably wouldn't have been able to get in to that, because of my vocational training," she said.
"This kind of gives you that scope that if you present yourself correctly, you show them you're driven and willing to learn, then having those connections gives you the opportunity."
