Around 80 secondary schoolgirls took the opportunity recently to check out their career options in the local trades sector at Great South’s Girls in Trades Day, and Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) was there to show the study and training pathway into its trades programmes.
The one-day event which is in its fifth year, was held at the Invercargill Workingmen’s Club on June 12th, with Year 10 to Year 13 students from secondary schools across Southland attending to find out more about potential careers and hear directly from local women working in trades.
The students visit an array of trades stands in small groups where they are presented with information on different trades roles and given insights into the training journey and what the job role is really like, hearing it straight from the ‘girls in trades’ who carry out the work.
SIT operates four stations - Engineering, Automotive, Electrical, Carpentry / Joinery – and for the first time last year, they invited current Level 3 trades students to run the stations and speak directly to the attendees about their training experiences. “It’s been a winner”, said SIT Programme Operations Manager, Tony Lemin, adding that the secondary school girls were very open to the Level 3 students and asked them lots of questions.
Mr Lemin said SIT are keen participants in the day, as the opportunity for girls to speak directly to those women who were in a trades career, was invaluable to them. The Tradie Panel was a very popular feature, where local tradie women answer questions from the attending students, speaking from their own experiences.
On the Tradie Panel this year was Apprentice Builder, Hannah Nicol, who shared some of her work journey with the attendees. Miss Nicol is a second-year apprentice with Adam Newton Homes, a job she secured after achieving the New Zealand Certificate in Construction Trade Skills (Level 3) – Carpentry at SIT in 2023.
As her first time on the panel, Miss Nicol particularly appreciated the opportunity to network with other tradies. “It was really good, I enjoyed meeting the other girls in different trades and talking to them about their experiences.” She also liked the range of relatable questions - “They weren’t all serious. it was good for the girls.”
Miss Nicol said her SIT qualification helped to open the door to her job. “It gave me the first few steps through the door. The pre-trade definitely helped. I couldn’t have gone into [building] without that.” She viewed the course as worthwhile because it taught her life skills as well. “It was useful whether I went into building or not,” she added.
While building had “its ups and downs”, Miss Nicol was happy with her choice of career and gave it a solid four out of five. She suggested students who were uncertain about what to pursue, could try some work experience “to see if it’s what you really want…” Overall, Miss Nicol thought the day was a great event to attend for girls who are still in the decision-making process. “It is a really good day if you’re unsure about what to do.”
SIT Tutor/Industry Training Manager, Kane Wyatt agreed it was an excellent event for the girls as they figured out what they needed to take in terms of subjects and courses, to get into their trade of choice. “They were able to work out the best pathway,” he said. “The girls enjoyed it, and it was great to hear the women’s experiences in the trades.”
Mr Wyatt said his highlight of the day was noticing the shift taking place within the sector as it welcomed more girls coming through, and “how well industry is catering for girls, taking them on and taking care of them in their jobs.” All the women on the Tradie Panel had had “really positive experiences”; it was reassuring to see those changes in industry continuing to progress, Mr Wyatt noted.