Gazza did a great piece on here earlier about the new NICEIC "Jobs for the Girls campaign", which aims to get more women into the electrical industry. So I spoke to trainee sparky Amanda Shaw (you will know her as sparky_sharky10 if you're on Twitter) about whether the campaign will work.
What do you think about the NICEIC’s campaign to get more females into the industry?
I think it would be great to see more women taking up the tools, There is certainly a small section of society that would maybe feel more comfortable with a female technician entering their homes. On a whole though I think it would just be great to see more women having the confidence to get out there and take up the trades they want to be in, but many feel hesitant to do so due to the fact so many trades have been stigmatised as a male domain. I think if you want to do it, just go for it.
As a female electrician yourself, do you like the fact that there are not many women in the industry? Or would you like to see more women becoming electricians?
To be honest if there is or is’nt more women in the industry isn’t really a factor to me. If more women want to take up the tools, it will happen. I don’t feel it will affect me competition wise for jobs, and for me to settle into this “niche market” of being a female spark and relying on that to put food on my table just seems silly.
So the amount of women in the industry can rise or fall as far as I’m concerned personally. It would be nice to see more females in the industry only for the fact they were getting the confidence to follow the career path they wanted and not being held back by possibly lacking the confidence to go for it.
When you speak to electricians in the industry, is there ever any animosity from them as you are a female electrician?
11 Years ago when I trained as a decorator, there was a fair bit of negativity from some, not all, males who I trained with and worked alongside. After they got to know me, and saw I was equally capable, the negativity was usually short lived. However, since I have set out towards becoming an electrician I’ve had nothing but a positive welcome into the trade.
My gender just hasn’t been a factor, I’ve found that I’ve been judged only on my attitude towards what I am doing and who I am as an individual. My drive to learn and be the best I can be seems to be of more importance to the guys I’ve had met than what sex I am. I certainly feel there has been a great shift in attitudes over the space of say the past 10 years. I think times and attitudes are changing. I’m judged on if I can do the job or not. That’s how it should be.
No doubt there will be the odd person I’m yet to cross paths with who will have a less open minded attitude, but for me that’s for them to live with, not me.
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