When Erin Murphy decided to pursue a carpentry apprenticeship, she didn't realise the extent of the sexism she would face just to get her foot in the door.
She said once a potential employer saw that she was a woman, she rarely heard back.
"I have a very specific memory of a person calling me up for an interview and they were super excited, they said 'Can I please speak to Aaron Murphy?' And I said, 'oh no it's Erin Murphy'," she said.
"And his specific wording was, 'Oh I didn't realise you were a girl; how do I know that you being 25, you're not just going to run away with one of the other apprentices and end up getting pregnant? I would've wasted money on you, no thank you'."
It's a cultural problem in the sector that is proving hard to budge.
Just 13 per cent of all construction workers in Australia are women.
Women's Health Grampians project coordinator Ange van den Berg said research showed workplace gender equality was gaining a "lot of traction" in most sectors, but "resistance" in others.
"We did a report a few years back that showed us that, in our region, industries such as construction and manufacturing were moving away from gender equality rather than toward it," she said.
What's changing?
Skilled worker shortages and a staggeringly low unemployment rate have increased opportunities for women in all trades, including carpentry, electrical and plumbing.
But Ms van den Berg said ensuring workplaces were safe for women went hand-in-hand with promoting the pathway.
"We certainly don't want to be putting women and girls into situations where they will not be safe, or where they will experience discrimination or harassment, for example," she said.
"But we also need industry to know that there is a cohort of women who want to work in these roles so they will do the work."
This is something local schools are trying to get a jump on.
Polly Britten at Highlands Local Learning and Employment Network (LLEN) launched Women in Trade and Try a Trade Day in early 2022.
The program has been completed by four schools in the district so far, with more already signed up for later this year.
Getting girls to 'try a trade'
The program begins with a conversation about gender stereotypes, getting the girls to think back to their childhoods and highlighting that baby girls are often given princess-themed toys, while little boys get trucks or a hammer and nails.
The participants get a safety briefing from Platinum Institute Australia, which trains large numbers of apprentices, then they get right into building a miniature house.
Platinum Institute Australia chief executive Damian Faulkhead loves being involved on the day.
"Once we get them started, they're quiet for about 15 minutes and then we need earmuffs, because the girls get really excited and drills are going everywhere, screwing everything together, and nailing off weatherboard," he said.
"I think a lot of the girls take away a sense of satisfaction, not only the fact that they worked out that they can work with their hands and they're quite good at it, but there's a lot of self-confidence coming from achievement."
Ms Britten has several organisations within the program, creating a "wraparound" service aimed at supporting girls into trades.
Apprenticeship Support Australia and Harris HMC both provide mentoring and pathway options, making sure that girls know they will be supported when pursuing a trade.
Erin Murphy also attends the program. She said just being a woman in high vis could show girls what was possible.
"I never had that person to look up to, so it's cool,'" Ms Murphy said.
Success already
Ballarat teen Hannah Pearce took part in the Try a Trade program and said each person was informative and helpful.
She has since taken on a full-time painting and decorating apprenticeship in Ballarat.
Ms van den Berg said while the number of women in trades remained "stubbornly low", she hoped the industry would gain momentum on all fronts.
"What we'd love to see is workforces that completely reflect our communities, so a broad cross-section of different kinds of people," she said.
