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Women in trades
At TAFE Queensland we're passionate about encouraging and empowering more girls and women to consider pursuing a trade pathway.
Women seeking broader job opportunities, stable employment and hands-on careers are taking up apprenticeships and helping to fill a number of skills shortages.
TAFE Queensland is proud to work with government, industry and employers to support a pipeline of talented women and girls into careers in male-dominated trade industries.
Read about our tradie trailblazers
Newly qualified boilermaker Frank Moro, 22, took out top honours at the TAFE Queensland 2024 Mount Isa Trade Excellence Awards on Thursday, 5 September 2024.
Jasmin Corby is turning a passion for woodwork into a career in carpentry, with the proud Kungarakan and Gurindji woman hoping to one day help more First Nations women to follow suit.
The 2024 TAFE Queensland - SkillsTech CSQ Apprentice Awards saw bright sparks from the utilities industry presented awards for their excellence.
Two inspiring apprentices have taken out the marquee awards at the 2024 TAFE Queensland - SkillsTech CSQ Apprentice Awards.
High performing building industry apprentices were recognised at the 2024 TAFE Queensland - SkillsTech CSQ Apprentice Awards.
Chelsea Roberts is loving her electrical apprenticeship, and is working on a new TAFE Queensland facility where future apprentices will train in her trade.
Sinead Mann completed a TAFE Queensland pre-apprenticeship course to secure an apprenticeship which sees her working on an exciting new TAFE Queensland facility.
Malcom Russo and Samantha Symonds, students from Ingham State High School, are kickstarting their careers in the electrical industry through TAFE Queensland's Certificate II in Electrotechnology (Career Start) (UEE22020) program.
On a 62-foot maxi yacht in the Whitsundays, Chelcie Jones faced a career-defining moment. The boat was drifting toward the rocks. The engine had failed. The pressure was on.
Breaking away from traditional career paths, husband and wife duo Jesse and Erin Bickford are rewriting the narrative —he’s a registered nurse, while she’s a skilled mechanic, proving stereotypes have no place at their dinner table.
Madison James leveraged her TAFE Queensland pre-apprenticeship training to secure the ongoing apprenticeship employment she's been chasing.
Amy Stubbs will be competing for bricklaying glory when she represents Mackay on the Queensland team at the 2025 WorldSkills Australia National Championships.
There's nothing that I can't do that the guys can do at work, and probably my biggest supporters are my workmates.
Being an apprentice was great because I was earning money as I was learning my job.
If you're thinking about pursuing a trade career, just go for it. It doesn't matter what anyone says to you, just do it. If you are really keen, people will take you on and help you out a lot.
In the future, I see myself completing my apprenticeship, being a fully qualified carpenter and maybe that will lead to me being able to teach other apprentices coming up and maybe doing a supervising job.
The thing that I love most about being a mechanic is you get new jobs every day. You get the opportunity to get a car, diagnose it, fix it and give it back to the customer.
What I like most about working in my industry is it's challenging. I enjoy the challenge.
A trade certificate is four years of your lifetime but you get a lifetime qualification. It really does open up some opportunities and doors for yourself.
Our industry connections
The National Association of Women In Construction (NAWIC) and TAFE Queensland have partnered to develop and deliver a Diversity and Inclusion Awareness program. This program aims to support male-dominated trade industries by supplying these industries with the tools to make a cultural shift.
Trades training areas
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Aged care
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Air-conditioning and refrigeration
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Allied health
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Automotive electrical technology
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Bricklaying and stonemasonry
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Baking and patisserie
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Beauty services
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Building and construction
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Building design
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Carpentry and joinery
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Civil construction
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Cookery
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Electrotechnology
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Engineering
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Hairdressing and barbering
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Heavy automotive industries
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Horticulture and landscaping
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Light automotive
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Manufacturing and design
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Motorbike and bicycle mechanics
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Painting and decorating
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Plumbing
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Printing
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Safety
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Tiling, plastering and flooring
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Travel and tourism management