Penny Holyoak
Age: 51
Industry: Building & Construction

Penny Holyoak believes women often have an edge over men when it comes to working in a trade. At 51 she runs her own home maintenance business and has a large contract with a local council in Melbourne, providing services to the elderly or the disabled living at home.

The building and construction industry is no longer the exclusive domain of young males. In recent years the industry has been working hard to attract women and older workers into a career, but not when Penny Holyoak was at school. Despite the adversity, Penny runs a successful business and has enjoyed the journey getting there.

"I find a lot of people prefer a female tradie. We tend to listen and communicate better and as a result get the job done the way the client wants," she says. "And that's how I've built my business."

"Not to mention I am very particular about cleaning up afterwards."

 At school Penny Holyoak pleaded with her teacher to do woodwork instead of sewing. Both her parents were very creative and she used to tag along after her father when he restored old furniture.

"I wasn't academic and was always a bit of rebel. I enjoyed fixing and making things in my spare time and playing sport, not studying."

"I should have been at a tech school really, then a TAFE."

When she left at 18 she had little direction. No one recognised she had an ability with tools, and no one was around to nurture her talent and guide her into an apprenticeship. Instead, Penny had many different jobs ranging from a postie, a bus driver, and working in a women's prison.

"I've had a million jobs. I get bored very easily, but the thing that remained constant was my love of fixing things. So I thought why not make it my full-time job."

At age 35, she bought her first home and with the help of her father undertook the entire renovation. She then enrolled in a part-time course at TAFE — a Certificate II in Building & Construction (Carpentry) — and tried to get an apprenticeship. However, Penny ran into difficulty due to her age and because she didn't have work experience, so instead she started her own home maintenance business.

"Looking back, if I had done an apprenticeship straight out of school I would be a multi-millionaire now. I would be bulding houses instead of fixing them, but I don't have any regrets."

"But for young people today, I would say go out and get as many qualifications as you can."

Penny now has a contract with a local council in Melbourne, involving security and maintenance for the elderly and disabled living at home, along with working on some private jobs. In 2002, Penny won the National Association of Women in Construction Award and also holds workshops in repairs and maintenance and to help women overcome their fear of power tools.

"I would say to any females considering a trade career to get out there and have a go. And do it with all your heart."