Ashley Schulz has been the only female carpenter on every construction site since her apprenticeship and she is ready for that to change.
A $57.4 million state government funding boost is aimed at transitioning more workers into construction, and one part will be to put tools in young women’s hands.
The four-year program will partner with 139 high schools to give girls real life experience.
For Ms Schulz the benefits for the industry are clear.
“You definitely need more women in trades,” Ms Schulz said.
“We have a different way of thinking about tasks, we problem solve differently and can resolve conflict because we’re not as angry.”
She is one of 30 women on site at Meadowbank, in Sydney’s north west, working for Roberts Co as they construct a primary school and high school in the education precinct.
The company, which has more than 130 staff has up to 30 per cent female representation after its CEO Alison Mirams made a concerted effort to employ more women.
One of those women included project engineer Jen Dang who started her career eight years ago in a “trial by fire”.
Finding a mentor and participating in a program to help other young women enter a trade industry has helped spur her on.
“I have more confidence now, when you have a good team, you can get through some of those tough times that happened.
“I was really thrown in the deep end when I started, and now I have someone to go to, to help me.”
Women currently make up 2 per cent of qualified construction trade workers in the country — it’s a fraction of the 1.2 million strong workforce.
These figures are also replicated in NSW.
The NSW government had earlier in the year announced support for 3,000 training places for women in trades with this new funding intended to remove the cultural and social barriers keeping women from building sites.
NSW Skills and Tertiary Education Minister, Geoff Lee said the low number of female tradies needed to change.
“It is bloody hard as a single female to be surrounded by a male dominated workforce. Women need support just like other employees and that’s the approach we are targeting,” Mr Lee said.
“I think we all know and acknowledge that women in trades in NSW is low. You can’t be what you can’t see.”
While this is not the first program to encourage women into trades, Mr Lee said the slow uptake may be a result of not taking a multi-pronged approach.
Ms Schulz and Ms Dang hope their presence on sites becomes the norm.
“I want more girls to know there is an opportunity here,” Ms Dang said.
“I only recently had my first female colleague and it just changes the feel, you feel less pressure from the number of men around you.”
