Sofia is a first-year apprentice plumber and always saw herself working on a construction site. Now working at CAB Plumbing we talked to her about her experience so far.
What support did you get when you were beginning your apprenticeship?
I got a lot of support entering my apprenticeship. I think there is more support now for women in construction or trades as it is getting a little bit more popular, and the support has got a little more. There is more support in the CAB admin team and with the boys on site so it’s good.
Do any friends, family or relatives work in trades?
My mum works in admin at a large infrastructure company, and she would come home and tell me stories and I think that is want pushed me a little bit more towards trades. It was a little bit of a different option as most of my friends are in a salon doing hair or eyelash extensions and I couldn’t see a girl in the trades so I was sitting on the edge, as I didn’t know what it was going to be like. In the end I just went for it and here I am.
How old do you think you were when you realised you were interested in taking up a trade?
I have been looking for an apprenticeship for about 6 months. I knew school wasn’t for me and I did not see myself as a hairdresser or in a salon. I always saw myself on a site and so I left school at the beginning of my final year and wanted to get into looking for an apprenticeship. (In 2023)… it seems like there is a lot of support at the moment because it’s a new thing I thought it was the right time.
Before you got your apprenticeship, had you had any work experience on a construction site or other trades workplace?
No – there was no work experience I had except in a café which is nothing like being a plumber!
Did you consider any other career options before you chose plumbing?
No, I was always thinking about plumbing. I did have my mind open and looked at other trades but I think it was plumbing that really interested me.
Thinking of your time at school, did any other student, teacher, careers advisor or other person mention working in trades as a good career option for you or any other girls?
I did not get a lot of support from the career counsellors for the trade side of things, it was only for uni – like saying “So do you want to be a paramedic?” and other careers that were all about going to uni. So that is the support I got, and it was not for me! That was a bit of a downside for me but I am here now at CAB so it’s all worked out.
