A friendly heroine with discipline

In just seven years, Sreileak Lea Vong – or Lea for short – has managed to settle in a country that was completely foreign to her, learn German in no time at all, and complete an apprenticeship at GF. And now, at just 27, she is passing on her know-how to apprentices at GF Piping Systems in Schaffhausen (Switzerland) as a vocational trainer and mentor. Lea wants to serve as a role model for women in particular and get them more interested in technical professions

Despite the language barrier, Lea completed her four-year training as an engineer in plastics technology in 2020 with a final grade of 5.1 – the top grade in Switzerland is a 6. “I don’t enjoy things when they’re too easy,” Lea says. “And if someone says, ‘You can’t do that,’ this motivates me to prove them wrong.”

Lea grew up in Siem Reap in northwestern Cambodia. She dreamed of traveling to foreign countries even as a child. “I spent my childhood in a village that was visited by many tourists. I was determined one day to see for myself how people in other countries live.” As a teenager, she explored the world through books. One book that really impressed her is called “Willpower,” which discusses the power of self-control and discipline. “It showed me how to act when I would be the head of a team myself one day,” Lea says. She faced hardship back in Cambodia. She wanted to study economics, but had to abandon her plan after a year. She wasn’t making enough as a waitress to cover both her tuition and the cost of living. She also explains that women in Cambodia are under a lot of pressure to marry young and not go to work. “I consider it to be a great privilege that I can fully concentrate on my job here in Switzerland,” Lea says. “I don’t always have to be the best, but I do want to give it my best every day.”

Lea discovered her enthusiasm for technology one day at an open house in GF’s training center. She applied for an apprenticeship at GF Piping Systems and was accepted after an initial internship. The apprenticeship as an engineer in plastics technology didn’t pose any problems for Lea. Shortly after completing it, she did a year-long stint at another company. However, the team spirit she knew from GF didn’t exist there. At the end of 2021, GF posted an opening for an inhouse trainer, so Lea applied – and got the job. Many colleagues already knew her from her apprenticeship, and they felt she was just the right person for the job. Lea quickly proved them right.

Lea genuinely enjoys working with the apprentices, and this is plain to see. She explains technical content with professional precision, her positivity opening a direct channel to the apprentices, while staying ready to listen at all times. “Lea has patience and nerves of steel. She successfully completed her apprenticeship – despite the language barrier – and I have great respect for that. She serves as a role model for us,” says Liridon Muzlijaj, who is currently in his first year of apprenticeship.

The majority of Lea’s colleagues are men. “I had to prove myself first in the beginning, maybe a bit more than had I been a man,” Lea recalls. “I am now part of a great team in which everyone contributes their individual strengths.” She wants to use her standing as a trainer to show women in particular how they can employ their strengths in technical professions. Lea doesn’t consider body size or strength to be an obstacle. “If the work is physically difficult, I ask for help or just use some equipment such as a pallet jack.

Living in Cambodia when she was younger, Lea had dreamed of living abroad. With discipline and confidence, she fulfilled that dream on her own within a few years. Her next goal is already in sight. “I want to keep learning so I can take on even more responsibility in the future.” And with her typical smile, she adds in Swiss German: “I’m very happy here, both at work and in my private life.”