More female tradies are key to building the future
· Michael West
Charlotte Ancell had done everything had been expected of her.
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She attended a prestigious all-girls school after her family pulled together to fund her enrolment. She worked hard, finished with a good score and went to university – following a well-worn path to a professional career.
But something wasn’t sitting right.
“I’m not sure where it came from but I remember crying about my future and not knowing what to do and calling my mum and bursting out, ‘I just want to be a tradie!’ Ms Ancell, 23, told AAP.
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Without anyone in her family or close community working in a trade, Ms Ancell had to fight hard to recalibrate the trajectory of her career.
“My school had a very narrow view of what success looked like. It was a very academic environment,” she said.
“The word TAFE was laughed at – people would scoff at you if you mentioned you might want to go to TAFE because university was really the only path that was encouraged.”
It definitely wasn’t something she considered growing up.
Yet she had always been drawn to hands-on work and knew she didn’t want to work in an office, so after her moment of clarity, Ms Ancell quit her degree and began applying for apprenticeships.
But breaking into the industry wasn’t straightforward.
“I applied for about a year and I got rejected over and over again because I had no experience,” she said.
Eventually, a skills and aptitude test resulted in an interview and an apprenticeship with builders and fitters specialists Rintoul followed.
Now in the third year of a Certificate III in shopfitting through TAFE NSW, Ms Ancell is working on major construction projects and thriving in a field she once never imagined entering.
Her story reflects a broader shift taking place across the industry.
Data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research shows the number of women enrolling in construction trades courses in NSW has more than doubled in the five years to 2025.
Fee-free training offered to women aged 16-24 has been critical in encouraging TAFE uptakes. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS)The figures come as the sector marks Women in Construction Week from March 1 to 7 before International Women’s Day on March 8.
Despite the growing numbers, construction remains heavily male-dominated, and Ms Ancell said entering the industry could still feel daunting.
“There’s always an anxiety going into it, knowing that in every room you’re going to be a minority,” she said.
“But it’s definitely daunting and incredibly rewarding.”
She said the experience had helped build her confidence.
“My self-assuredness has gone up exponentially,” she said.
Ms Ancell said supportive colleagues and teachers had played a major role in helping her settle into the industry.
“The teachers at TAFE are incredibly supportive of women,” she said.
Executive director of teaching and learning in construction and energy at TAFE NSW, Jennifer Perkins – herself a qualified electrician – said increasing female participation was essential to meeting workforce demand.
Female participation is essential to meeting industry demand, Jennifer Perkins says. (PR IMAGE PHOTO)“TAFE NSW is training the majority of women entering construction-based trades in Sydney, and increasing female participation isn’t just important, it’s essential to meeting industry demand and growing the workforce,” she said.
“More women on worksites strengthens teams, boosts productivity and supports the long-term future of the industry.”
NSW Skills and TAFE Minister Steve Whan said encouraging more women into trades would help address labour shortages.
“The construction industry needs more skilled workers and supporting more women to enter, train and thrive in the sector is critical to meeting that demand,” he said.