Girls from High Schools across the region were invited to Wyong High School on February 26, as part of the Supporting and Linking Tradeswomen (SALT) Bush Tour.
SALT, in conjunction with the NSW Department of Education, is running workshops across northern NSW during the last week of February and the first week of March to encourage young women to consider a career in the trades. The coordinator of the program, Ms Fi Shewring, said the Wyong workshop was aimed at encouraging girls to consider a trade career and to get local employers thinking about taking on more women as apprentices in industries that are traditionally male-dominated.
“The workshops are run by experienced tradeswomen, and aim to give young women an idea of what it takes to be a tradeswoman and of the myriad job opportunities available,” Ms Shewring said. “Wyong students were given hands-on experience of tools used in various trades, including carpentry, painting and decorating. “The volunteer tradeswomen also mentored the students about making positive career choices which will enable them to earn a reasonable wage and build their self-esteem and confidence. “We hope that local employers take notice that there are young women in their area who are seriously interested in a trade career,” Ms Shewring said.
Source: Media release, Feb 21 Sven Wright, NSW Department of Education