St Martins Lutheran College students Lily Clifford-Finch and Mia Roulston are gearing up for careers in carpentry and plumbing following their study.
Trade providers like TAFE SA are hoping others will consider construction industries when the Mount Gambier’s Women in Trades Career Expo is held at The Main Corner on October 25.
Ms Roulston is not your ‘behind the office type of person’.
The Year 11 student is midway through an 18-month Certificate II in Plumbing with TAFE SA in Mount Gambier, equipping her for a four-year apprenticeship after Year 12 and says she chose plumbing for its variety.
“We actually have not done anything with toilets yet, even when I was on work experience I did not do a single thing with toilets. It’s better than I thought it would be,” Mia said.
While Mia had grown up watching her mechanic stepfather do odd jobs around home, welding was a new ball game for her.
As well as having little experience going in to the journey, she started as the only girl in the class.
“I have grown up around boys so I don’t get nervous, but it was a bit weird. After a while you get used to it and now I’m friends with all the guys,” Mia said.
While she says older people are surprised to hear she is studying plumbing, younger people generally advocate for females in trades, a sentiment echoed by her lecturer Elliott King, who said he was slowly starting to see more female students in trade courses.
“With the industry being so busy, I cannot see why there shouldn’t be more girls striving to get into trades,” Mr King said.
“It’s an entry level course so we start from the ground up.”
Unlike Mia, fellow St Martins Lutheran College student Lily Clifford-Finch came with a bit of experience up her sleeve.
After attending builds with her carpenter father, Lily’s following in his footsteps through a Certificate II in Construction Pathways.
“I have always kind of wanted to do this, but two years ago I really decided,” Lily said.
Like Mia, being the only girl in the room does not seem to faze her.
“You just do what you do, go along with your work and you don’t really notice them. They get annoying sometimes. But that’s just boys,” Lily said.
“I like using the circular saw and I enjoy chiselling. I don’t know why, I just like it.”
Not only does Lily like it, she is exceptionally skilled at it according to her lecturers Laurie Cella and Marcus Benjamin.
“Lily’s been brilliant, probably top of the class to be honest,” Mr Benjamin said.
Mr Cella has been teaching students at TAFE SA for 16 years.
“Some take longer than others to get there but eventually they will all get there. But Lily’s been outstanding in the classroom and in the workshop, just brilliant,” Mr Cella said.
He said girls were generally easier to teach.
“They’re more attentive and more likely to ask questions, to clarify,” Mr Cella said.
“I think we definitely need more (females) in our industry. It doesn’t need to be that man’s world that it used to be perceived as.”
Lily is aiming to work as a second-fix carpenter, while Mia hopes to one day start her own plumbing business.
