LEARNING the tricks of the trades, all while looking and feeling the part - that's what the "Girls Can Too" program is all about.
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Every Wednesday for seven weeks, 12 female students from Denison College Kelso High Campus will be participating in the program, which aims to promote women in trades.
The first day of the program took place on Wednesday, May 8, from the Bathurst TAFE campus.
There, students got behind the wheel of a digger, and learnt all about the civil construction industry.
And, in the weeks to come, students will undertake training in a variety of traditional trades.
These include automotive, electrical, tiling, welding, bricklaying and participants will even take a trip to Cadia Mine.
One student, Matilda Brady, said the experience was invaluable, as she hopes to undertake a trade after completing her studies.
"I want to be a diesel mechanic, and work on tractors when I finish school, or try to do an apprenticeship," she said.
Encouraging these young women into fields that are typically dominated by men, is the exact aim of the program.
And for Matilda, even day one of the program gave her more confidence to pursue her goals.
"I don't really feel like I fit in [with trades] as a girl. But the more and more that I do today, I'm starting to feel like I fit in a lot better," she said.
This is something that Jacquie Smith from Regional Industry Education Partnerships, part of Training NSW, said could be attributed to the generosity of program supporters.
Skillset, Trade Readiness and Women in Construction, as well as Newcrest Mining have all sponsored "Girls Can Too."
This sponsorship has included both financial contributions and the provision of tool kits, personalised uniforms and lunchboxes, all to ensure that participants both look and feel the part.
Confidence in their craft
"It can be really scary for the girls, so that's why the things like the esky and the tool kit that Skillset gave them can give them that confidence to start," Ms Smith said,
"And they have the uniform, so they look the part."
This is all in the hopes that some of the Kelso High students utilise their experiences to assist in decision making for the rest of their school years, and the rest of their lives.
"We're hoping this will help them with their subject selections at the end of the term, and help them to decide whether they want to stay on at school for Year 11 and 12," Ms White said.
"Or help them to decide whether they want to leave school and get an apprenticeship."
And, considering the current trade shortage in Australia, Ms Smith said that encouraging more women into apprenticeships is extremely important.
"It's so important to get women into trades," she said.
"Women are 50 per cent of the population, and we have a trade shortage, and people are out there looking for enthusiastic workers so we need to open it up to the women out there."
As well as providing hands-on experience, another element of the "Girls Can Too" program, was that participants got to learn directly from women who have gone before them.
