Dapto High School program seeing more women into trades

First year apprentices at energy provider EDL, Ms Callaway described a typical day working at EDL's National Maintenance Facility in Appin.

"We get big engines in and we overhaul them," she said.

"We strip them down, clean all the parts and rebuild them, along with any other maintenance that needs to happen."

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Ms Thomas and Ms Callaway found their way into an apprenticeship through the Women in Trades program that has been running at Dapto High School for the past five years.

Senior student mentor Peter Johnson said the program began from a student's inquiry.

"About five years ago a girl that wanted to be a mechanic came to me for help," he said.

"She applied for a job at EDL and National Maintenance Facility manager Neil King said, 'She's good, do you have any more students like that?'"

Since then, the program has grown into an annual workshop series, with presentations from Mr King, former students and careers coaches.

"Once we had the first girl present at a school assembly, instead of saying are there any girls interested, the girls are knocking on the door," Mr Johnson said.

So far, over a dozen girls from Dapto High School have gone through the program into apprenticeships at EDL and other industrial businesses.

Having enjoyed tinkering with machines growing up, Ms Callaway said hearing about the program spoke to her when she wasn't sure what she wanted to do after high school.

"I'd always been playing with engines and I enjoyed mechanical things, so it was a good fit."

Knowing she had a future pathway through the program, Ms Thomas said it took the pressure off during her last years of high school.

"I was doing stuff I enjoyed, because I wanted to finish school and I knew that I had an apprenticeship lined up," she said.

Having previously completed work experience at the EDL site in Appin, Ms Thomas and Ms Callaway said the transition from school to employment has been smooth.

The energy sector is one of the worst performing industries in Australia when it comes to gender representation, with the industry workforce only 23.8 per cent women. Only mining, construction and transport were more male dominated.

In addition, the occupations of machinery operators and drivers, labourers and technicians and trades workers have the highest proportions of men in Australia, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

At EDL, Mr King said the company sets targets for a diverse workforce, in part because of the value a broad range of demographics bring to the workplace.

"Currently our maintenance area has roughly a 50-50 split, male-female, and the positive dynamic there is a huge improvement and benefit for the business."

For Ms Thomas and Ms Callaway, the support and familiarity with the workplace has made work a positive experience for them, but it has been seeing their own personal growth that has stood out.

"I can see how going through the program and getting the apprenticeship I've grown as a person, so it's cool to see that happen," Ms Thomas said.

"We were only sitting in their seats a few months ago and now the [Year 12 students] are asking us questions and we know the answers," Ms Callaway said. "That's pretty cool."

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