Year ten girls in Bathurst, Mudgee and Orange are donning their hi-vis and getting their hands dirty as part of TAFE NSW’s Girls Can Too program which introduces them to different trades, tools and career pathways at their local TAFE NSW campuses.
The students from Denison College Kelso High Campus, Mudgee High School and Canobolas Rural Technology High School will spend one day each week learning about different trade areas and talking to apprentices, teachers, and other experts about opportunities to join the industry.
Females make up just 1% of workers in trades such as carpentry, plumbing and automotive, but a growing interest in these traditionally male dominated roles and opportunities like the Girls Can Too program are paving the way for young women to take up apprenticeships.
TAFE NSW Business Sales Manager, Danielle Neville, said the program is an exciting opportunity to encourage girls to consider a trade as a possible career choice.
“Over a six-week period, the girls will get to experiment with the tools of the trade in carpentry, automotive, civil construction, electrotechnology and mechanical - welding” Ms Neville said.
“Students will also hear first-hand from female apprentices and business owners in the industry about the benefits of working in a trade, and the doors it has opened for them.
“Building basic trade skills and making connections with the industry is also a good way for the girls to get their foot in the door with possible work experience opportunities.”
Careers Advisor at Denison College Kelso High Campus, Jenny Forster, said the program opens up so many opportunities for girls who are starting to think about their futures.
“This is the third time our school has been involved in the Girls Can Too Program and we just love it, it’s a great opportunity to get the girls out of the classroom and into a different environment where they can try something new,” Ms Forster said.
“It can be hard to get girls excited about apprenticeships, but we just tell them that you never know until you try, and then when they give it a go, they surprise themselves with how much they get out of it.”
Anthea Clark who recently participated in the Civil Construction workshop in Bathurst said the experience was very different to anything she’d done before.
“We learned about how to operate a machine safely and were all given a chance to drive it, which was really interesting,” Ms Clarke said.
“I’m looking forward to the construction and automotive workshops in the next few weeks.
“I am considering an apprenticeship when I finish school so I’m looking forward to meeting some of the women in these industries to hear more about what it’s like working in a trade.”
The Girls Can Too program is supported by the NSW Government’s Women in Trades strategy and Training Services NSW’s Regional Industry Education Partnerships (REIP) program.

Media contact: Katie Hitchcock, TAFE NSW Communications Specialist, MediaRelease@tafensw.edu.au, 02 7920 5000.