SUPPORTING and Linking Tradeswomen (SALT) helped Bowraville Central School’s secondary girls to celebrate International Women’s Day and National Women’s Shed Week with workshops on Wednesday, 2 March.

The SALT program operates in towns in NSW and Queensland, supporting students in rural and remote areas by giving them access to career role models.

The aim of the program is to encourage girls and women to consider a career in a trade, and to get local employers thinking about taking on more women as apprentices in industries that are traditionally male dominated.

“Our girls were encouraged to consider a range of possible career pathways, which they may not have normally considered,” said Megan Cochrane, Community Liaison Officer, Bowraville Central School.

Secondary girls from the school had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with tools used in most trades, gaining skills to help them in the future.

The Bowraville Central Central girls were full of praise for the workshop saying they “thoroughly enjoyed the day”, “it was great to learn new skills”, and “the teacher was so nice and helpful”.

An advantage of the day, and of attending a central school, means that younger students also got to see what happens in high school.

Megan Cochrane said, “Our primary girls were privileged to get an early look into career pathways when they visited the workshop to watch their older friends at work.”

 

By Karen GRIBBIN