Female carpenter’s calls to overthrow
industry stereotype
A female carpenter is encouraging others to follow her lead and
get a head start in the construction industry. Aidan Truelove, 22,
from Eggbuckland, Plymouth, has just completed a three year
apprenticeship in
carpentry and bench joinery with Ian Williams.
She has already inspired her younger brother Blaine, 20, to take
the apprenticeship route but also wants more young women to try
their hand at trades such as carpentry, plumbing and painting.
“I never thought I’d be working on site,” said Aidan, who
initially worked as an administrator for a construction company
when she left school.
Yet by applying through the young persons’ advice service
Connexions she won a place on the Ian Williams apprenticeship
scheme in 2008 and has not looked back since. Aiden has worked with
Ian Williams to deliver work for housing association Teign Housing,
which manages 3,600 homes across south Devon.
Aidan said: “I always loved woodwork at school so I thought the
carpentry apprenticeship was right for me. I can’t believe how much
I’ve learnt over the past three years.”
Working in a traditionally male-dominated industry has never
been an issue for the apprentice. Aidan said: “I’ve never been
treated any differently to the men on site. There’s another girl
coming through the scheme now as an electrician but I hope we’ll
see more.”
Aidan proves that to be successful you don’t have to fit an
industry stereotype. She said: “There’s a joke that you can spot a
carpenter by their missing fingers but I still get my nails done.
Some of the blokes even discuss with me what designs I should get
next.”
This month the Government pledged £25million to create 10,000
more apprenticeship opportunities across the country in the fields
of engineering, information technology and advanced manufacturing.
This expansion is based on the success of schemes within other
sectors including construction.
Ian Williams currently has more than 40 apprentices working for
the firm. The company has a target that 5 per cent of its total
workforce are apprentices.
Mike Turner, development director for Ian Williams, said: “We
are incredibly proud of our apprenticeship scheme which gives so
many young people a starting point in their chosen career.
“Today’s job market is very tough but our apprenticeships give
young people the opportunity to get the qualifications and
experience they need. It is encouraging to see more female
apprentices like Aiden coming through the scheme and they are great
role models for other females to follow them into non-traditional
roles. ”