Increasing number of Australian women putting up their hand to work in trades

Third-year carpentry apprentice Emily Bailey cannot imagine spending her life sitting behind a desk.

The 20-year-old from Rockhampton in central Queensland is one of thousands of Australian women at the forefront of a change rippling through a traditionally male-dominated industry.

National data from Construction Skills Queensland (CSQ) reveal Australian female construction apprentices just like Emily Bailey more than doubled in the last decade.

In December 2020, the number of female…