She is part of the largest single trade occupation in Australia – one that employs just 1.3% women! And she took a 50% pay cut do it! Today in the interview series, I am delighted to speak with Nicole O’Keefe.
Nicole’s story interested me in so many different ways. She’s an inspiration for all women who want to change their life and do something different. Read on to find out more about a thoroughly fascinating young woman.
Nicole started her career in a call centre, which eventually led to a role as an HR Officer in a mining company. Here, she predominantly focused on recruitment, and therein started a love of mining and mines.
After some more time spent travelling, she came back to mining, this time in a Perth based recruitment role. The Perth lifestyle lost its appeal, so she took on a role as a HR Generalist on the mines.
Despite loving the FIFO life, her career then took another twist, when she decided she wanted to learn a trade. She spoke to an old recruitment buddy to ask when they were next advertising the apprenticeships, and as luck would have it, it was the next day!!
She applied, and had the slightly ironic experience of going through the same recruitment and selection centre process that she herself had co-ordinated and facilitated at different centres over the years! Fortunately, she was successful, and Nicole started a four-year adult apprenticeship (cert III in electrotechnology: electrician), as one of four women. She is now 18 months into her apprenticeship.
I wanted to know more about life as a female apprentice on a minesite.
Nicole spoke about how she is winning over her colleagues, in what is still an arguable male dominated environment.
Firstly, some stats to put this all in perspective. This is from the Women in Trades Report : the missing 48%, which has this to say:
“..Fewer than two percent of construction, automotive and electrical tradespeople in Australia today are women.
There were just 676 female carpenters, 931 female motor mechanics, 638 female plumbers and 1,432 female electricians nation-wide in 2011 within a total technicians and trades workforce of nearly 1.43 million people, just over 14% of the workforce.
In the largest single trade occupation in Australia – that of electrician – women were just 1.3 percent of the total…”
First and foremost, she talks about how she has won them over with her work ethic. She knows that there will be some areas such as strength where she won’t be able to match the strength of her male colleagues, so she compensates for this with fitness. To that end, she gets up at 330am whilst on site to go to the gym. She keeps herself in the best possible condition, not only from a fitness perspective, but also to manage the fatigue that comes from the roster and from the long days.
I asked her if she ever found herself in difficult situations and how she managed those. She said she stuck to her principles of:
- Be true to yourself; and
- Know your values
She doesn’t want to be seen as a dobber dobber, so knows which battles to fight and how (ie – to be discrete about the battles).
If all that isn’t enough – Nicole has also taken on a new challenge, which is as director of Trade UP Australia. Trade UP Australia is a volunteer organisation that works with industry and the community to encourage women to see a skilled trade as a viable career option. They do this through the following:
- Empowering – providing hand and power tool workshops for women of all backgrounds to gain confidence through practical and building skill building.
- Inspiring – fun speaking engagements and presentations by successful and passionate female tradespeople.
- Informing – providing access to general information and resources about working in a trade.
- Mentoring – connecting women, apprentices and female tradespeople through a volunteer programme, meet up events and online forums.
Nicole has an energy and passion that is simply contagious. She has a spirit of just getting on with it, managing any obstacles in the way as just that, obstacles to be overcome rather than anything more drastic. As an example – taking on the apprenticeship meant over a 50% reduction in her pay – and yet, she’s managed to not only survive, but keep her investment property as well. She talked about how this meant changing her lifestyle to reflect her income and living within her means.
Nicole’s advice to anyone who says: “I wish I could do that”:
It is as simple as: you can do it.
You can! Just get some courage and do it – it is honestly that simple.
Set yourself up
Know what you have to do
Put steps in place to make it happen.
As a mother of two young girls, it delights me that there are women like Nicole who are living her dream, and encouraging and supporting other women to get out there and live their dream too.
Thanks for your time Nicole, and we look forward to hearing more about your career adventures!
Want to know more about Trade UP? Check out their website. Want to know more about becoming an apprentice? Check out these resources.
Today’s takeaway:
- How are you encouraging the young women and men in your team to live their dreams and potential, particularly if those dreams are a bit more unusual?
- What are you doing to encourage acceptance of diversity within your teams?
Until next week, happy leading,
