Fiona Shewring from the Illawarra TAFE's Painting & Decorating faculty has released a comprehensive report outlining the work of women in non-traditional trades, entitled “Supporting Women In A Non-Traditional Trade”.(Read the E-Zine)

Fiona’s report dispels the myths which prevents women working in trades, and shares the stories of seventeen different women in trades. She shares the stories of women in trades, which cover anything from painters to mechanics and butchers.

According to Shewring’s report, the myths include beliefs that:

• All men currently engaged in trades are apprentice trained
• It’s a waste of time and money to train women because they will stop and have babies
• Women can’t do the work
• Women do not have the physical strength to do the work required
• Women don’t want the work
• If women are trained they won’t cope in their trades and leave quickly so it’s a waste.
  

Fiona Shewring’s report was presented at the AVETRA conference earlier this year. AVETRA is Australia’s only national, independent association of researchers in vocational education and training (VET).

“Without an engagement by all parties (employers, Registered Training Organisations, schools and society) in true Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO), where any person capable of the job is trained and employed to do the job, nothing will change. Women represent half of the general population yet represent about 0.2% of most non-traditional trade training. ” the report states.