Making Our Mark: Louise

Louise has become what she describes as “the person she needed when she was younger.” She believes that girls and women need more visible female role models to encourage them to consider skilled trades. This is particularly true in those industries facing significant skills gaps or which are historically dominated by men, so they can stay relevant for a new generation of professionals.

Louise has taken action. She is now sharing her experiences with women in traditionally male trades, through one-on-one coaching, her workshops, and her Facebook community called “Tradeswomen Owning Their Power.” She also produces her own podcast “Anxious Tradeswomen.” She says, “I am hoping to have the chance to be an ambassador for women in trade to prove the point that we can do it.”

The idea came when she was learning to become a mechanic. She did not see herself reflected in those people training her. She shares, “Being a young woman in a masculine industry meant that there were not a lot of mentors available that looked like me. I had great male mentors but there were some things that they couldn’t help me with.”

So she began to consider what could be done to improve gender diversity in her field, and now uses her own experiences to connect with, and inspire, other women. She says, “I thought about what worked for me and what didn’t, and now I pass this on. [I remember] I would not get given jobs because people would think they were too heavy. The boys thought that they would have to man up and “help the little girl” but all they were really doing was taking away my opportunities to learn.”

It was not always obvious that Louise would pursue a technical career. While she grew up on a farm and was familiar with manual work, she did not expect to go into a skilled profession. She says, “When I was at school, I did not see myself being a mechanic. I just wanted to leave school and I did not really have much of a plan after that. Then, I did work experience in year 10 and picked Mechanics and I have not looked back.”

She joined trade school and later started an apprenticeship. Her hard work led to multiple successes in Heavy Vehicle Maintenance at WorldSkills Australia competitions, and she went on to represent her country at WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017, where she won a Medallion for Excellence.

Louise is determined that her impact goes beyond medals though. Her work is creating change in her industry. She is playing an active role in dismantling the barriers that women face and showing that they belong, and can thrive, in the same professional spaces as men. Because if more women join an industry, there are more talented candidates to fill skilled jobs, there is greater diversity, and greater opportunity for sectors to innovate and transform.

Read more motivating stories of young people making their mark.