A new children’s book designed to challenge gender stereotypes in the trades sector features NICEIC registered electrical contractor Mandy Reynolds.
The Sheffield based contractor has been flying the flag for female electricians in recent years – as a supporter of NICEIC’s Jobs for the Girls campaign and as a contributor to a report about women in the construction industry edited by Meg Munn MP.
Now she has been immortalised in print by appearing as a caricature in the new book showing young children that there are all sorts of jobs out there regardless of sex.
The book - Yes We Can! – was produced by Sheffield-based charity WEST (Women in Engineering Science and Technology). In addition to Mandy the book features characters based on real-life tradeswomen including Kay the plumber and Tracy the bricklayer.
“Sheffield has a proud history of excellent tradeswomen like Mandy and we’re chuffed to be able to celebrate them. Our aim is to inspire a whole new generation with these role models,” said Liz Kettle from WEST.
Following a successful launch, in which kids were invited down to meet the characters, the book also appeared in a recent item on the children’s news programme ‘Newsround’.
Mandy established her business Mand Made in 2008. She is no stranger to fame having won the national Which? Local Business of the Year Award in 2011 and again, for the Yorkshire region, in 2013.
She said: “WEST does excellent work to challenge the misconception that women and girls can’t do ‘men’s work’, so I’m delighted to support this book.
“It aims to create an acceptance of women doing non-traditional work in young children before they become influenced by stereotypes. I am the walking, talking, proof that a girl really can have a career as an electrician.”