International Women's Day: What is it like to be a woman in trades?
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) states that only a measly 1% of tradespeople are women, with this percentage hardly seeing any change in a decade.*
In honour of International Women's Day, we spoke to the women in the 1% who are passionate about their roles and finding out exactly what they do, the challenges they face and why they got into the industry to begin with. By giving women in trades the spotlight, hopefully we can inspire fellow women to try their hand at something they may not have considered doing previously, purely because they didn't feel they looked the part.
Meet Yasmin for International Women's Day 🔥
Yorkshire-based Yasmin is a Tig Welder for Ginetta Cars, which she got into after wanting a more hands-on job outside the recommended nails and hairdressing she was initially offered at college. After pushing to try welding instead, she never looked back, confessing, 'If I can do it, literally anybody else can!'
Now, she uses Instagram to beat the critics, showcasing her talents and showing just how interesting it can be!
Meet Nora for International Women's Day!
Nora is an Inside Wireman (Journeyman Electrician) who loves her role thanks to the excitement that comes with never truly knowing what you will be working on from day to day.
Her journey to becoming a tradeswoman is a particularly special one, having found a passion for it after a prison stint as a troubled youth. It is with the help of the trades programmes and trades employment in the facility she was incarcerated in that she turned her life around, being placed on the electrical crews and falling in love.
Meet Courtney for International Women's Day!
Courtney is a Product Specialist for @makitauk
where she spends her days demonstrating power tools to end users covering the construction industry and grounds maintenance industry.
Working in an industry like hers, she is inspired every day by her fellow tradeswomen, not just in her own field but in every corner of the industry, since she knows all too well the challenges it can bring. She wants every woman to 'Keep breaking down those barriers' and be confident in their abilities to do their jobs – after all, they can do it as well as any man can!
Read all the posts on UK Planet Tools' Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/ukplanettools/
