15 Sep 2021 | 5 mins

The idea that trades are just for the fellas is pretty quickly becoming a thing of the past. Aussie female apprentices have doubled in the last 10 years, and some of them have taken to social media to inspire us to show us how it’s done! Here’s a few female tradie influencers you should check out if you’re looking for some post-school career inspo:

Melbourne Chippy Chick

When Stef Apostolidis started posting about being a chippy, she started getting a big audience of like-minded women wanting to find out what it’s like - and things took off from there. As well as her hella-inspiring content on Insta and Youtube, Stefs founded the Tradie Lady Club, which is all about supporting, inspiring, and encouraging existing tradie ladies and women who aspire to join the construction industry. They’ve got social catch-ups, profiles on women bossing it atm and tips of the trade!

 

 
 
 
 
 

Tammy Vos 

Tammy is absolutely crushing it as a qualified sparky and GM at the moment, spending around a couple days a week doing work out on site, then running the family business for the rest of the week. When she was growing up she was always super keen to help her dad with work, and the passion just blossomed from there. When she started out on her own, people would be constantly surprised to see a female electrician, which gave her the idea to get the word out there that uni and a desk job isn’t the only option out there for young women.

Fast forward a few years and she’s got a huge community on insta, where she has great chats about finding good PPE, tools and workwear for women, Q&As, and some giveaways too!

 

 

Milanka Bee

Milanka works as a site inspector on the geotechnical side of things - which basically means that she works out on site taking a look at what the building conditions are when they’re putting in foundations or building stuff on top. If you don’t do a good job here, things can go pretty pear-shaped (unless you’re looking for some of that leaning tower of pisa aesthetic). On top of the stuff she does on site, she also does some great Q&As in her downtime about what it’s like to be a woman in the construction industry, and also has some pretty sick videos about her woodworking DIY projects. If you’ve ever dreamed about getting into science but also getting your hands dirty, or if you have a vision of having friends over for cocktails on the deck you built yourself, Milanka’s TikTok is a must-follow.

 

@milankabee

It’s been raining and tornado watches so haven’t had much time to work of the roof deck but there’s this ##keepingbusy ##lifeathomequiz ##diy

♬ Riptide (FlicFlac Remix) - Vance Joy

If you’re feeling inspired by all these women crushing it as tradies, why not drop VERTO a line? They’ve got over 500 different trade and non-traditional trade apprenticeship opportunities out there, so you’re bound to find one that you’re keen on. You’ll get guidance and support, learn on-the-job and get paid for all your hard work. Take a look at their page over here!