WELCOME TO WITNI
Women In Trades Network Ireland
“Have a passion for it. Look forward to going to work every day. It’s not work if you love what you do. Don’t settle for sameness. Women are different from men. We always were and always will be. Adapt to the working methods and be flexible. But don’t lose yourself. With that attitude, I’ve had no problem at all. Have a willingness to learn and a positive attitude. Know what you’re talking about, but don’t take yourself too seriously. You can overcome any obstacle.”
Martha George, Stone and Brick Mason and President of the Grand Valley Construction Association (GVCA), Ontario, Canada
"While the recession was on us there simply weren't the jobs there to promote. But now things are picking up, the opportunities are there, for all genders, for all ages.
Margaret Reilly,
Cabinet maker & Director,
Grand Designs, Kitchens & Bedrooms
Drogheda
It's so interesting this job. You're constantly learning.
You don't have to go to the same place for work every day.
It's not as hard as people might think.
Don't let the ideal of a male dominated industry put you off.
Just go for it."
Sally Liddell,
Right Connection Electrical,
Melbourne
Australia
“It has been so important for me that women have come together to support each other in the different male-dominated trades. The help I have received through WITNI has been so valuable to me. My confidence has grown enough to pursue my apprenticeship, knowing that I am not alone”. – Roisin
HGV Apprenticeships with Bus Eireann & Dublin Bus
Career Stories
Ingeborg Kjellberg, Machine Excavator
“I am now licensed to drive excavators, wheeled loaders, dump trucks, dozers and scrapers. Basically all machines except backhoe loaders. I despise them! I also have been taught how to read maps and maintain do simple repairs on the vehicles.”
Sarah Murphy, Quality Engineer
“Growing up, I always knew I wanted to do something in the line of engineering. I started a city & guilds course in mechanical engineering which led on to getting a degree in manufacturing engineering. During the summers and weekends, I worked as a welder.”
Stina Sandstrom, Bricklayer & Graphic Designer
“We shoot time lapses of the site from the same spot up on a hill every day. The builder and the architect work together solving problems and come up with new solutions bit by bit. In these moments the site is full of good vibes!”
Our Blog
Bold For Change 2017
She realised that to her, beauty could be about deciding to step outside the box and expressing inner strengths and imagination.
Kate in Airplane Mode
It seems like the job of an aircraft mechanic has adapted to modern day systems and there is less of the greasey in ‘grease monkey’ life, and more complex electrical aspects involved.
Woman On Site
In Ireland today less than 5 % of construction workers on-site are women and the amount of females in trades apprenticeships doesn’t even reach 1%. According to SOLAS only 34 of the current 10,000 apprenticeship placements are filled by women