Girls prove jobs aren't just for boys (From Stroud News and Journal)

Girls prove jobs aren't just for boys

Anyone who still thinks girls are made of sugar and spice and all things nice could be in for a bit of a shock the next time they call out a plumber or a builder.

It is becoming more common these days to find females covered in oil and grease and wielding a trowel.

Will Saunders went along to Stroud College and found out that careers once the prerogative of males are increasingly becoming acceptable jobs for the girls.

EVEN in this age of gender equality and political correctness, there are some professions where the sight of a woman is still a rare occurrence.

This is especially true of 'hands-on' trades such as bricklaying, motor mechanics and plumbing - occupations so quintessentially manly that the mere thought of a girl wielding a trowel or adjustable spanner is enough to make anyone sit up and take notice.

But a small and dedicated group of female students at Stroud College are setting out to prove that girls can do anything just as well as the boys, if not better.

Nicky Sweet, 25, is a post-woman turned bricklayer. She has been studying for her level three NVQ in trowel trades for the past two and a half years.

"I was a bit bored working as a post-woman and wanted a change but I didn't fancy working in an office," she said.

Nicky, said she has never met another female bricklayer but went on to explain that there is a lot more to her chosen profession than simply putting one brick on top of another. "I like the variation, we learn a lot more than people imagine. There's a lot of theory to go with the practical work."

While Nicky's course represents a drastic career change, for would-be car mechanic Tina Walker who is studying Motor Vehicle Service and Repair, her career choice is a result of a lifelong obsession with motoring.

"I've been under cars since I was born. My family were always playing about with cars."

Tina, 17, who ultimately hopes to start her own business with fiancee Kevin, had many words of encouragement for other budding girl mechanics: "Try your best, don't take any stick from anyone, just give as good as you get. It really works," she said.

One of Tina's colleagues under the bonnet was 16-year-old Polly Winstone, a former pupil at Thomas Keble school. Like Tina, Polly also has an enduring love of motorsport, and admitted she would love to work for one of the globe-trotting world rally teams.

"I wanted to prove a point. Men think we girls aren't so good. That's not true. But the men at Stroud College are really good. They're not sexist at all. I'm on a good course and I'm learning a lot from it," she said.

Plumbing is another traditionally male-dominated course which has seen a growing number of female students in recent years. Roy Smith, who lectures the foundation plumbing course, believes the recent upsurge in female students is partly due to the increasing financial benefits that plumbers can receive.

"There's such a shortage of trained plumbers out there that you can earn a lot from it, so the financial aspect is very important." Roy said the women on the courses responded well in the traditional male environment.

"They act natural, they don't want to be treated differently. They always do everything the lads do without complaining about it," he said.

One of Roy's new students is 22-year-old Esther Hefferman, who is also very enthusiastic about the career opportunity that the course offers. Currently studying a level 2 GNVQ in plumbing, she is optimistic about her chances of starting a successful business:

"I think some people would respond better to a female plumber. Maybe they would find me less threatening."

Plumber-to-be Louise Campbell, 21, said she "wasn't at all apprehensive" about entering a male-dominated profession. Her advice to any girls considering a more 'hands-on', practical career choice was: "Don't feel threatened. If you want to do it, do it and don't worry about anyone else."