BUSINESS AND TRAINING 19
Women on site
Edited by Tanya Olckers
Submitted by BluLever Education
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 .
Tsholofelo Phukwi started out in construction in 2013 , just after she matriculated . There , she got the chance to do her community house building NQF2 and learned how to build RDP houses . This is where her passion for plumbing and construction began . She tells her story of success :
I am a very competitive individual , so I always had the thought that if men can do it , what could possibly stop me as a woman ? One thing that always bothered me was hearing men whisper , “ we will see if she will do it .” We always have to prove our capability to men . For me , I always take this as motivation to do better than the men .
At my first employer – for employer-based learning – I was the only lady among a bunch of men . That ’ s where I felt I had to prove that I could also do this – and even better than them . Sometimes I felt like they would pick me to do a certain job to test me and see if I had the capability to do it . One thing I love about myself is that I am always up for a challenge as it gives me the opportunity to learn .
Supplied by BluLever
I have contributed to changing the mindset in the industry about these being ‘ male ’ jobs , as I have shown that I can definitely do it . I can say my ideas where I was working contributed to the way we did our jobs . I believe I paved a way for other female plumbers to be able to express their thoughts and share their ideas without any fear of not being heard .
There is absolutely a growing number of women in the industry , which is something I was definitely anticipating . The only concern I have is that we don ’ t have many leadership positions out there .
My advice is to believe in your strength and capabilities . Never let other people ’ s opinions rule your life . That feeling you get of wanting to do a certain trade is validation enough that you can do it . PA
“ I am a very competitive individual , so I always had the thought that if men can do it , what could possibly stop me as a woman ?”
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April 2024 Volume 30 I Number 2 www . plumbingafrica . co . za