Today I had a chat with Aleea Zannier, a fourth year carpentry apprentice who is currently undergoing training with CTC tenant, BIGA Training. Aleea is the only female apprentice in her block, so I was interested to find out about her experience working in the trade so far. Before getting into carpentry, Aleea worked in landscaping. The change came because she always loved building things and a future in construction was more desirable.
Currently Aleea is employed by Building and Asset Services, which is a Government department. This is her first time at CTC and says the Campus has made a great first impression. She likes that the classrooms are smaller so it feels like it’s just you and the teacher. She says she prefers CTC to her previous training centre as it allows for a more personal learning experience. Aleea loves that there is plenty of parking, enjoys the food at the café, and is happy with the campus style layout of the precinct.
As construction is mostly dominated by males, Aleea is yet to work with another female in her trade. However, she was never overly concerned about working only with men. Aleea’s initial concerns were just nerves about starting a new job but now that she has settled in she really loves it. She has never really had any difficulties being a female in a male dominated industry; she states that everyone she has worked with has been really great. Aleea doesn’t feel she is treated differently for being a woman in a negative way at all, if anything she thinks she sometimes gets it a little easier than some male apprentices which she can’t complain about.
Aleea says that her only real struggle has been getting through the academic component of her apprenticeship.
“I just prefer working with men. Things seem to run a bit smoother with simple solutions to problems and no drama”, she stated.
Taking a broader outlook, Aleea said that problems will always arise in the industry where women aren’t taken seriously – especially by male clientele. However, when it comes to female clientele, they are naturally more inclined to consult another female when in need of trade services.
“A female is more likely to take her car to a female mechanic”, Aleea gave as an example.
All in all, Aleea hasn’t faced too many hard times throughout her apprenticeship but thinks that things may have been a little different if she wasn’t working for a government-run organisation.
Aleea is in her last year of her apprenticeship and would love to work for a private company specialising in home renovations once she is finished. It is clear that Aleea loves what she does, has a great attitude, and is a prime example of why women really can do anything. We couldn’t be more delighted to have her here at CTC.
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