It’s not so many years ago that carpentry was an almost exclusively a male dominated trade. Women that happened to be on construction sites were generally visitors or not working directly in the trades but these days the construction trades have a new look. Although construction sites are still predominantly male, it’s not that unusual to see many women working in the trades and this has filtered down to vocational training.
In recent years we have had a few women in the program averaging one or perhaps two per group of 22 students but this January’s group reflects the changes in the construction industry; five women in one carpentry group. Opportunities are increasing for women in the construction trades and there are many incentives designed to attract them into the less ‘traditional’ jobs. For women thinking about working in carpentry, there has never been a better time to take the plunge. Come and see us about being “student for a day”, and find out if it’s the career for you.
Don Gillies, Carpentry teacher