Meet our first operations cadet, Ella Peatling (first stop: the driver’s seat).

Stories from the people who keep us moving: Ella Peatling, the first operations cadet in Australia under Kinetic's new Cadetship Program, on earning her bus licence in her first weeks on the job, and where the road leads from here.

Most graduates spend their first months in a new job behind a desk. Ella Peatling spent hers behind the wheel. As Kinetic's first operations cadet in Australia, she has already completed her bus driver training and has been out driving on service for the past three weeks. Not bad for someone who never pictured herself in the driver's seat!

"I never thought I would drive a bus," she says.

"Obviously, you catch the bus all the time, and you don't really think about who's driving the bus."

A new pathway

Ella is the inaugural Melbourne cadet in Kinetic's Cadetship Program, a talent development initiative designed to build the next generation of transport leaders.

As part of the Operations Leadership Pathway, she'll rotate across key areas of the business, gaining practical capability and confidence across operations, planning and leadership functions, backed by targeted training, dedicated mentorship, and a pathway to a permanent role on completion.

For Ella, who came to Kinetic with a Bachelor of Business majoring in Human Resource Management, that structure was exactly the appeal.

"I graduated and I was looking for graduate programs or cadetships, and I came across the Kinetic one," she says.

"I thought about it a lot, and I think it was the best because of the hands-on aspect, and learning the core of the business at the start, to get such a good grasp on what the business is about."

Hands-on from day one

That hands-on start meant joining our Women Up Front program: six weeks of driver training, completed alongside other women taking their first steps into the industry.

"It's been so awesome doing the training, especially with the other women. You're there to support each other," she says.

"It wasn't as daunting as I thought it would be, because they're so supportive. You go in there, they tell you what to do, you do it, and then you just build on your skills."

An industry she never considered

Ella is open about the fact that transport wasn't on her radar, and about what changed her mind.

"I never really considered going into the transport industry because it was so male-dominated," she says.

"But they've really pushed to get women into the industry, and they're so supportive. It's just been amazing."

That's no accident. The inaugural Australian intake of the Cadetship Program specifically targeted women cadets, offering tailored development to break down the barriers that have long limited women's advancement into leadership positions in transport.

Cadets receive structured development, real operational experience and dedicated mentorship, with a pathway to permanent employment at Kinetic.

And now she's inside it, Ella sees an industry full of possibility.

"There's so many opportunities in the transport industry. It's massive, and it's so important. Everyone uses it, and it's got a big future, especially going electric."

Where the road leads

With rotations across every part of the business ahead of her, Ella is keeping an open mind about where she lands.

"I did want to go into human resources, but so much has opened up,” she says.

“There's so many opportunities in everything else, and I'll just see what I like through this program.

"So far, I've enjoyed the driving the most. And the community at Kinetic has been so welcoming. Everyone wants to come and talk to you and learn your story."

Her next rotation is with People and Culture, but it's the one after that she's really looking forward to: the Operations Control Centre (OCC).

"The OCC is such a big part of the network. Everyone calls into them, and they're kind of the backbone for the drivers," she says.

"I know that I can lean on them when I'm out driving, so it'll be good to be able to return that support."

Wherever she ends up, the first cadet's early verdict is an easy one.

"The Kinetic team is really helpful – they're really supportive, and they just want you to succeed," she says.

"There's so many opportunities at Kinetic, and I'm just really looking forward to the future."

Want to follow in Ella's footsteps? Applications are now open for the next round of Kinetic's Cadetship Program in Australia. 

If you're ready for hands-on experience across every part of our operations, with dedicated mentorship and a pathway to a permanent role, we'd love to hear from you. Find out more and apply here.