Women on site
Edited by Megan O ’ Connor – submitted by BluLever Education
BUSINESS AND TRAINING 19
Plumbing Africa thanks Blulever Education for providing coverage of their ongoing Women on Tools campaign , which aims to change the narrative about women in the trades by sharing the success stories of their female apprentices .
“ When I applied for the plumbing apprenticeship , I didn ' t know much – the only thing I knew was that in plumbing you unblock pipes and deal with sinks and toilets . But having a background in construction helped me broaden my view . It was in construction that I started to get excited about plumbing . I was nervous because , as we know , this industry is male-dominated , and I was afraid that I would be treated differently or not given a fair chance to learn . It is a physical industry , and I doubted my physical capabilities – wondering if I would be able to carry equipment and use the tools properly . But going to LBC changed my mindset completely . I learned valuable lessons that I will use in both my personal and professional life . So , from camp I felt ready for the industry .
“ When I started my journey as an apprentice , I enjoyed being on campus and doing practicals , so when I went to EBL I thought that things would be the same . Working on site has its own challenges that I had to adapt to , such as working in a noisy and dusty place and working on my fear of heights . As a woman , I also had the added challenge of having to face physicality-related stereotypes like ‘ woman can ' t carry heavy equipment .’ Even when we were doing the physical work , some plumbers preferred that I watched the work be done instead of doing it myself . I was also often assigned to the simple tasks like assembling a toilet cistern , installing a tap or to fetching tools from the truck – I felt like I was not needed on site . I also often felt discouraged when I would come to site with the hopes of being given a new challenging task , only to be given the same thing . But as weeks passed , I tried to do small tasks on my own under supervision , which showed them that I was eager to learn , and eventually I was given the ability to complete tasks on my own .
“ A situation in which I had to prove myself was when we were given a task to install water meters . There were a lot of doubts about whether I could fasten it tight enough to not have leaks . I was told to just assemble it and they would install and fasten it on the pipe . After observing the first installation , I asked to assemble the second and third . I gained confidence that I did it correctly , so I was able to complete it on my own . I was happy with the outcome because I gained trust in my ability to work on individual tasks alone , but I always ask someone to verify that what I do is correct so that I am able to fix my mistakes .
“ The most rewarding aspects of plumbing for me include learning plumbing , being on site and being able to start working – from decking to doing finishes and experiencing how the different pipes connect . At first , I did not have much faith that I would be able to do certain tasks alone , but I have gained so much confidence and belief that I can do anything I put my mind to .
“ I have seen a shift in attitudes towards women in plumbing – and it ' s a positive one . In my first days during ‘ toolbox talks ’ we were not assigned any tasks – we had to follow and help others – but recently we have our separate tasks . This shows that the impression they first had about us has changed and we continue to prove ourselves by working hard and showing our dedication . So , our presence on site is now being noticed , and they see our abilities are not just cleaning and we can work just as well as men .
“ My advice to young women who would like to come into this trade would be : Never miss a chance to excel because of a fear of the unknown . With dedication anything is possible . Learning plumbing has nothing to do with gender – I can use the same tools that anyone else can and produce beautiful work . So , let ’ s not limits ourselves because of society .” – Dineo Mudumbe , BluLever Apprentice .
Dineo Mudumbe .
BluLever Education
“ Join BluLever ' s apprentices as they change the narrative about women on-site . Share your own stories of overcoming myths about women in the trades and use the hashtag # WomenOnTools .” – Blulever Education
• Visit BluLever ’ s ‘ Women on Tools ’ website page : https :// www . blulever . com / women-on-tools
• Original ‘ Women on Tools ’ Video : https :// www . youtube . com / watch ? v = Nb7-CDeWNxE PA
November 2023 Volume 29 I Number 9 www . plumbingafrica . co . za