Trades industry members hope females’ ability to ask and learn could influence blokes
CONSTRUCTION sites across NSW are gearing up for a massive influx of lady tradies, who industry members hope can improve the habits of the fellas.
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CONSTRUCTION sites across NSW are gearing up for a massive influx of lady tradies — and industry members hope their good habits will rub off on young male co-workers who can be “too proud” to think jobs through.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal 1000 new female apprentices have signed up with TAFE NSW since 2015 — a 21 per cent rise — with much of the growth focused on traditionally male-dominated roles.
The highest enrolment increases include landscape construction at 143 per cent, cabinet making at 114 per cent, engineering at 75 per cent and auto-mechanical at 72 per cent.
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TAFE Minister Adam Marshall said he hoped female tradies would “bring a fresh perspective to male-dominated industries”.
23 Carpentry managing director Chris Seadon said he was seeing a difference with first-year apprentice carpenter Britney McLaren who often took a more careful approach to her tasks than some of his male employees.
“You say, ‘Go and do this, you got it?’ They (boys) go ‘yeah’, but they’re too proud or too eager to ask questions … then they go and stuff it up.”
However, second-year airconditioning apprentice Amber Perrott-Jones said in her work she still experienced subtle differences with male counterparts toning down their talk in her presence.
“It was funny — I heard some of the guys in the lifts, joking around, but when the doors opened there was dead silence.”