Women In Trades Wednesday- Zoe Kokx

Zoe Kokx is currently undertaking a 5-year apprenticeship in Aircraft Engineering with Air New Zealand.

A typical day for Zoe involves: “doing maintenance on our fleet and those who contract work to us. Depending on what area our team gets placed on, we could be working on anything from engines to cargo to flight deck. Some jobs I've been involved in this year include replacing the flight control cables along the wings of a Virgin Australia Boeing 737 and replacing the EGT (exhaust gas temperature) harnesses on an Air Caledonia engine. We also work on the USA air force C-130 Hercules- which is awesome knowing they've been all the way to Antarctica.”

 On what inspired her career choice, Zoe says- “I've always loved planes, it still blows my mind when I see a C-17 or even a 777 take off, I know how it works but it still seems crazy!”

 Zoe wanted to be a pilot when she was in high school, so when she was of age, she applied for the Air Force. Unfortunately, she wasn’t accepted due to having asthma, but that wasn’t enough to put her off a career in aviation… “A few years ago, I discovered this trade and went for it, after trying for ATC I knew this was my last chance to work with planes. After doing my pre-trade, I was lucky enough to land a job with Air New Zealand.”

 “I think the thing I love most about my job is always going to be the planes. In what other job can you stand by the runway and watch planes planes battle to take off and land?!” Zoe comments on her love for the designs and engineering that makes planes as magnificent as they are, and she especially loves that she gets to get her hands dirty to keep them in the air.

 Her proudest achievement to date is “when I was doing my pre-trade I managed to get the top trainee award- even though I had no mechanical background. I had studied so hard! My future goal is to complete the CAA exams and get my licence so I can get type rated for the A320s and maybe the 787s.”

 Zoe’s advice to anyone looking to get into her trade is: “make sure it's something you're passionate about. It's a job that holds a lot of responsibility, and the training can be grueling, but being where I am now, it's all worth it!”

Women In Trades Wednesday- Sophia Hattingh

Sophia is a second year electrical apprentice who is currently working in the industrial electrical space in the steel industry. A space she describes as “extremely male-dominated”.

 A trade career wasn’t where Sophia started out though. She studies design After doing design at university, and after spending a few years in the industry, she  decided to make the shift and get a trade.

 A typical day at for Sophia involves preventative maintenance on various machines, getting completely covered in dust and grime, picking up her boss’ tools after him and assisting him on breakdowns. 

On what she loves about her trade, Sophia has quite the list, including: “learning new skills, being able to work with my hands and keep active during the day. I love working 6.30 - 3 and being able to get to the beach after work!!”

Sophia’s biggest challenge has been night class studies- “having the energy to do school work for 3 hours after a full day’s work can be really tough – especially in the summer!” But then my greatest achievement has been passing all of year one.

 Sophia has big goals for the future- “I hope to have my own business at some point. But for now getting through the next three years on an apprentice wage is my main focus. That and passing exams!”

Sophia’s advice for anyone wanting to get into electrical (or any trade) is: “talk to as many people as you can in the trade about their job. I don't have any tradies in my family so whenever I met an electrician I would ask them hundreds of (probably really annoying) questions. But that gave me an idea for what to expect and where I might like to work etc. Also follow tradies on instagram!! I love seeing what other people - especially apprentices - are doing. Its also great for a bit of solidarity seeing other women in the trades :-) "

Women In Trades Wednesday- Amelia Rae

Amelia is a fully qualified and registered Master electrician with 11 years industry experience, who runs her own company with 2 staff members.

The feeling that she has something special to add to the industry is what inspired Amelia to start her own business. “I have a unique eye for detail, combined with a huge passion for what I do, and I feel this strongly reflects in my level of work. Because of this passion, I can get really involved in a customer’s wish list, and I love making their dreams become a reality by suggesting some cool new features along the way. I’m always staying up to date with the latest technology and housing trends”

A typical day for Amelia is meeting her staff in the morning, making sure they understand their tasks for the day and setting some motivation, then meeting the customer or builder onsite and getting stuck in. “Some days I will be 'jobbing' where I can achieve 6-8 jobs in a day, others I will be on a new house doing pre wiring or fit-off. I work 7 Hours on the tools, then pick up my son from day-care. When I get home, I cook dinner, get him bathed spend some time together and then another 2 hours admin when he is asleep at night.”

“I absolutely Love my job and wouldn't change it for anything! I have found something i really enjoy and am passionate about. The best part for me is seeing a customer try and explain their dreams and what they are trying to achieve, and being able to go above and beyond to deliver more than what they could have expected - Making others dreams a reality”

Getting qualified was a big proud moment for Amelia, “I had a huge ‘f**k yes, I’ve done it!’ feeling, despite all the stigma around being a female”. “Starting a business was cool, but growing it to employ staff due to the top level of work i produce and demand to work with me personally and my company is a huge confidence booster to doing it right - I couldn't wipe the smile of my face the first day my staff drove off to their jobs! -that was a huge goal of mine to achieve”. Another awesome achievement is that to our knowledge, Amelia is New Zealand’s first Female Master electrician who is self-employed.

Amelia’s future goals are around growing her business, and being recognized for the quality of work they produce.

Outside of work, her trade has given Amelia the ability to be self dependent and not rely on anyone- “I can achieve all hands on tasks myself, as my trade has given me the attitude of ‘hey, i can give that a go’ and try to things myself instead of not knowing were to start. I can also help friends and family in the same way”

Amelia’s advice to anybody looking to get into a trade like hers- “Give it and any opportunities a go, it really doesn't matter what anybody thinks, as long as you’re enjoying it and having fun. There can be alot of egos in this industry, so head down, work hard and let the results speak for themselves!”

Women In Trades Wednesday- Chelsea Roper

Chelsea Roper has been in trades for 2 years so far as a builder, and is currently in the second year of her carpentry apprenticeship with BCITO. 

A typical day for Chelsea can vary widely- “I could be standing frames, digging holes and then off to another house to fit door hardware. No two days are the same.”

“I chose a career in the trades so that I could help my partner build our own home, we couldn't afford to otherwise.” Chelsea was previously a qualified graphic designer for 6 years, and felt it was time for a change.

On what she loves most about her trade, she says “I love taking nothing and creating something, and getting to see jobs from start to finish!”

Chelsea’s most proud achievements in her trade career to date include: “being a 1st year and putting in 24 mortise door locks, including 2 into cedar front doors.”

As for the future of her career, Chelsea has no set goals, apart from finishing her apprenticeship. (We think that’s a pretty massive goal in itself!)

Chelsea’s  advice to people wanting to take on a trade, would be-  “just do it! Dont let the stigma or opinions of others hold you back, stand out, be different and do what YOU enjoy in life.”

Women In Trades Wednesday- Flora Rivers

Flora Rivers is a carpentry apprentice, and was the hilarious and inspiring 2018 Mitre 10 keynote speaker at the annual WITNZ Getting women into trades conference. 

Currently completing her apprenticeship with BCITO, Flora was inspired to pursue a trade career for reasons a little different to most- tired of being let down by people she was relying on to fix things, she took on the task of learning how to do it herself. 

A generous man named Craig Williams bought her her first toolbox and with his encouragement, Flora took the steps to take on her carpentry apprenticeship- which included moving to New Zealand from her home in Samoa.

She notes this move as one of the biggest challenges she’s overcome, alongside the silent daily battles of strength between the boys on site- “you win some, you lose some!” She says.

Beginning a trade has impacted Flora’s life outside work in that she now sleeps a lot more than usual, explaining herself as being a bit like a “modern day sleeping beauty, who doesn’t consent to being woken by a kiss from a random stranger!”

Flora’s future career goals at present are “to be a better Me than yesterday”, and her advice for others is pretty straight up too- “if you’re gonna do it, be confident that you can do it, because you most definitely can! It’s all about your mindset.”

Women In Trades Wednesday- Ashlee Dankrell

Ashlee Dankrell  is a second generation painter and decorator in line to start her apprenticeship with BCITO shortly- following her workmate’s completion of their qualification.

A typical day for Ashlee includes “Trying to wing that extra five minutes of smoko by getting our boss talking about something he’s passionate about… that, and lots of sanding and vacuuming!”

Inspired to enter a trade career by her Dad and brothers, Ashlee says seeing the instant and dramatic change in a room is what she loves most about her trade.

“Switching from external repaints to level 5 new builds” is her most proud career achievement to date, and while not being scared of a bit of hard work, Ashlee also enjoys getting a bit of humour in the mix- “it reflects the trade I’m in!”.

As for future career goals, Ashlee’s include managing her own painting company with her brother.

Advice she would give someone looking to get into painting and decorating: “Hope you like sanding dawg! You gotta start at the bottom to work your way up”.

Women In Trades Wednesday- Nikita Ward

Nikita Ward, is a 24 year old Plumber and Gasfitter apprentice (one more block course in early 2020 and she’s finished!). “I love my job because every day is different. Working with your hands, outside what could be better?!”

Nikita was inspired to pursue a career in trades by her partner who is a builder. “I was sick of my job working with kids and he said “why don’t you try a trade?”. I did a pre-trade course and haven’t looked back.

“A typical day for me is: wake up at 5am, drive an hour to work and find out what I'm doing that day, pack the van with the gear we need for the job, get the apprentice and head out to the job site. Most of my jobs involve figuring out where appliances are going to be installed and how to get the pipes to it. There’s a lot of time spent underfloor or in the roof space!.”

Proud career moments for Nikita include being selected as a finalist in Young Plumber of the Year 2018, competing in World Skills 2016- coming in second in Wellington and 4th in the national placings. “It was a really cool experience, I met some cool people, and out of the 8 plumbers competing at nationals, 3 were female which was awesome!”, she has also passed both her gas and plumbing tradesman exams.
As far as future goals go, Nikita says “I would love to have my own company with a team of women!”

“My advice to anyone looking at a trade just do it and keep at it, people will say no but just keep at it and show them u can do it .. also plumbing isn't that bad!”

Women In Trades Wednesday- Billie McDonnell

Billie McDonnell is an apprentice plumber, gasfitter and tradesman drainlayer.

Currently working on one of New Zealand’s biggest building projects (Commercial Bay), with 39 levels, Billie can be doing anything. She’s completed the fire register paperwork for the whole job and when she’s not busy with that Billie is likely to be helping one of the boys on the tools.

Billie’s dad got her into her trade- he’s a qualified plumber and gasfitter. She started out helping out on one of his jobs doing lagging to save money for a farming course, then decided that actually plumbing didn’t look like too bad of a job. Within the week Billie was officially an apprentice for that company.

On what she loves about her trade, Billie says- “I love the fact that plumbing isn’t what everyone thinks it is. Every day is different, I’m doing commercial work and absolutely just loving every aspect of the trade so far.” 

Her most proud career achievement would have to be “still continuing with my trade after I had an accident on site and snapped my femur in half. Following this I didn’t have any hesitation to continue plumbing, and I’m so proud of how far I’ve come and how much I can now do even through all the struggles and problems I’ve had with my leg ever since. Also passing my tradesman drain laying qualification recently was a big achievement for me.”

Future career goals for Billie are running a job site and also becoming qualified in all 3 of her plumbing trades to the highest level.

“I would encourage any women to get into the trade. It’s a bloody good time and you won’t regret it at all. There are struggles and there’s accomplishments, but in the end a trade is way to go.”

Women In Trades Wednesday- Sarah Louise

Sarah is an electrician and heat pump installer. 

She is currently completing an electrical apprenticeship through Etco, and has plans to continue on to complete a refrigeration apprenticeship next. 

On a given day, Sarah could be doing anything from prewiring/pre-piping a new house through to helping install robotic equipment. 

Sarah was originally planning on a career in health, but found she wasn't made for university study, and the idea of working in the same place doing the same thing for the rest of her working life was a depressing thought!

After doing some work experience as an electrical trade assistant, Sarah fell in love with the work- “It was the best decision I have ever made and I have never looked back. The thing I love most is the variety of the work and the challenges involved - no day is ever the same.”

Sarah’s most proud career achievement “has to be just seeing how far I have come. This time two years ago I didn't even know what wire was the live one! I know I have a long way to go, but I am so proud of how far I have already come.”

 Advice she would give others looking to get into electrical trades is- “give it a go! Talk to the wholesalers and electrical companies and offer some trade assistant work if you aren't 100% sure about it. All you need to start out with is common sense, good humour, and an eye for detail - you can learn the rest. As a girl, working in a "male dominated" industry isn't as scary as it first sounds - if anything getting into electrical, you'll end up with the coolest job you've ever had, and some amazing friends across all the trades that will last a lifetime.”

Women In Trades Wednesday- Kate Vandermeer

Kate Vandermeer is a heavy diesel mechanic, holding a level 4 Certificate in Heavy Automotive Engineering (agriculture).

With huge variety to her days, Kate can either be in the field or workshop, working on anything from ride-on mowers to heavy agricultural vehicles like combine harvesters or articulated tractors.

 Her Dad is an HVAC engineer, so engineering and trades were always in the background- he encouraged Kate to consider all options, though he really wanted her to go to university! After high-school, Kate completed trade training in the Air Force, before starting her new apprenticeship at age 30. 

 The variety- in both the size of equipment and the type of work she does are what Kate loves most about being a mechanic. She works in specialist areas such as hydraulics, electrics and engines, as well as carrying out general maintenance and repair work, and helping out in the parts department after she learned her company’s parts system too.

 Around 2 months after switching to agriculture from heavy plant and equipment, Kate was given the task to strip and rebuild the rear axle on a tractor. She says this is her most proud achievement to date, as whilst she had plenty of guidance and support, Kate says “the fact I did 90% of the work myself made me realise I really do have what it takes to be a mechanic.”

 Kate’s future goals include specialising in electrics & electronics- “it’s such a huge area in agriculture, as so much is operated by vehicle computers and we have a growing specialisation in precision agriculture. It takes patience and a good analytical thought process to nut out the challenges, which is perfect for me.” She is also aiming to become a senior tech helping train apprentices- “teaching practical skills is a passion I discovered whilst instructing in the Air Force, and I’m keen to be back in that position”.

 Kate’s advice for others considering mechanical trades is “be brave and don’t quit on your dreams! It can be hard to find that perfect fit initially, but keep building your skills & taking every day as it comes- you’ll make it! Also, get yourself a mentor and support crew- even if it’s random lady tradies on Instagram!”