Friday, 16 July 2021, 1:11 pm
On June 16th at Ara’s Woolston Campus, a special
visitor made some time to inspire and inform female
students. Katie Thomas, an Ara graduate, engineer, and
all-round good sort, visited with a select group of other
future women tradies to share her insights into starting a
successful career in the trades. Trades are awesome.
One thing I enjoyed about getting into engineering is that
the culture is really cool. It s usually quite fun - the
boys can go a little bit over the top, but it’s a hell of
a good job in any of the trades. I meet lots of tradesmen
Press Release – Ara Institute On June 16th at Aras Woolston Campus, a special visitor made some time to inspire and inform female students. Katie Thomas, an Ara graduate, engineer, and all-round good sort, visited with a select group of other future women tradies to share her …
On June 16th at Ara’s Woolston Campus, a special visitor made some time to inspire and inform female students. Katie Thomas, an Ara graduate, engineer, and all-round good sort, visited with a select group of other future women tradies to share her insights into starting a successful career in the trades.
“Trades are awesome. One thing I enjoyed about getting into engineering is that the culture is really cool. It’s usually quite fun – the boys can go a little bit over the top, but it’s a hell of a good job in any of the trades. I meet lots of tradesmen all over the place – sparkies, plumbers – and everybody sort of gets along really well. I also have a good sense of humor – that helps!�
Richland Community College s five-week showcase of Women in Trades welcomed keynote speaker Kristin Stinnett, the first female automotive technology instructor at Highland Community College in Freeport.
Central Queensland has recorded one of the highest rates of female trade apprentices in the state, the numbers having doubled in the past decade.
Research released on Monday by Construction Skills Queensland showed the state’s female trade participation increased from 5,300 in 2000 to 13,500 last year; a “strong positive trend” according to CSQ.
CSQ research in 2018 put female trade participation at 3 per cent.
The latest figures show women now account for nearly 5 per cent of Queensland’s construction trades.
The most popular training areas for female apprentices were high-skill trades, such as electrical and earthmoving plant operators.
The research also indicated a much higher rate of part-time jobs for women, 44 per cent compared with 9 per cent for men, and a preference for less traditional trades.