BUSINESS AND TRAINING 11
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 .
Nontobeko Jacqueline Memela fell in love with plumbing after doing civil engineering and building construction at college . Here is her story in her own words :
Plumbing was my major at college . Being exposed to it made me love it and want to pursue it further .
Being in a male dominated industry is hard because as a female , no one really believes in you , and you constantly have to prove yourself and that you can actually do the job .
I got lucky when I got placed in a good company that teaches me a lot of things that I know now . My employer , Mr Giorgio , makes sure that I learn and that I excel . The advice and teachings I get from him makes me want to be great in this industry , not for money , but to help other people and to prove that , as women , we can do everything that is considered a " man ' s job ". Luckily for me my colleagues and my employer do not have the mindset of " women can ' t do it ". I ' m treated as an employee . I ' m the only female in the company that I work for . The clients are always shocked and surprised that I ' m a woman whenever we have a task to do . They see me carrying tools and doing my work and they always ask me , " How does it feel like being a female in a male dominated industry ?” and my answer is always the same : " It feels great because if men can do it then why can ' t women do it ?"
When I began my apprenticeship at Wicked Leaks , I was afraid of being treated differently or not being allowed to do hard labour , but from day one everything has been going well . I work hand-in-hand with my employer , which means that every task or project I do , he is always there , which is good for me because I get firsthand experience I get to learn from him . I have to prove myself is when he does gas installations . As a plumber who has never done gas before , I have to give him all the fittings of a gas geyser and all the material . That is when I constantly have to prove myself just so I can make him work well and get the job done on time .
When we do leak detection or water jetting , that is where I also have to constantly prove myself since it ' s my first time being exposed to that type of plumbing . The rest goes well and I ' m also learning a lot . It ' s easier when the employer also wants you to succeed and be the best .
" Jacky always looks for the red car ," he says . I didn ' t understand that at first , but the red car is the opportunity . This means that I should always look for opportunities and strive every day .
The most rewarding aspect of working in this industry is not learning about general plumbing but learning about the laws and principles of the plumbing
Nontobeko Memela
world . I get a lot of experience and that is rewarding for me because one day I want to own my own company and be the best I can be because of the experience and teachings I am getting every day . I learn new things every day in this industry .
My role as a female plumber contributes positively to my workplace because I can also do what the employer asks . I am still learning about other things , but I ' m just glad that Mr Giorgio gives me a chance to learn things and do what he has taught me . There has been a shift of attitude in the industry because not only do men get these chances but we as females are also getting chances to lead big projects . And also , we are now allowed to work on site and do hard labour .
One challenge that needs to be addressed is that women can do what men can . You get on site as a sub-contractor where there are only men , and they start making comments that they think are funny and some even go as far as asking if you know what you ' re doing .
My advice would be that a job does not have gender roles . Do not be afraid of what people say . If you want to do it , then go and do it . Try and fail , but never fail to try is my motto in life . As women we are conditioned to believe that we are supposed to stay at home raising kids but it ' s up to us to change the narrative and show people that we can do everything that they say we can ' t do . Nontobeko Memela . PA
Images supplied by BluLever Education
August 2024 Volume 30 I Number 6 www . plumbingafrica . co . za