With a nationwide shortage of building tradies reflected locally in chronic staff shortages, two young women are doing their bit to both break down the barriers and help overcome local worker shortfalls.

Female carpentry apprentices and childhood friends, Molly Brown, 19, and Meg Turner, 20, found their calling for carpentry after completing work experience on building sites run by Molly’s father, a builder himself.

This led them to study a Certificate III in Carpentry at TAFE NSW Dubbo where they have forged a rewarding and lucrative career path.

With the population of Central West and Orana expected to increase by 11 per cent over the next 15 years, experts say that it is critical to encourage more skilled young talent on the job to support the growing region and level-out property prices.

Not just in the classroom, but also on-site, the two apprentices are also thriving after having secured jobs locally with Simon Darlington Carpentry and Brownrite Building Group. They are now helping support infrastructure projects such as the luxury residential apartments being built at 1 Church Street in the heart of Dubbo.

The young ladies are also both doing great work in a technically-difficult and exacting trade, their TAFE NSW teacher Caleb Morris, revealed.

“Carpentry is a highly-skilled and in-demand profession that delivers safe and cost-effective housing and infrastructure,” Caleb said.

“Since Molly and Meg entered the classroom, they’ve gone from strength to strength, showing that determination and an eye for detail are valuable skills in trade-based professions, like carpentry,” he added.

Broadening the range of applicants for traditional trades is also a fantastic way to reduce the worker drought impacting many areas of the building game, he believes.

“Skilled talent will play a crucial role in building the new homes the region needs,” Caleb argued.

For, Molly, trades are a family affair, and it was only a matter of time before she followed in her father’s footsteps.

“From a young age I knew that a hands-on, outdoor career was what I wanted for my future,” Molly said.

“Working with my dad gave me the confidence I needed to enrol at TAFE NSW Dubbo and forge my own path in the construction industry; three years on, I get to help build people’s dream homes!” she added.

Being one of the only females on the job-site has also not deterred Meg either, instead, seeing it as an opportunity to encourage other females to seek a rewarding career in a traditionally male-dominated field.

“School wasn’t for me, so I took a chance and decided to pursue a trade; luckily, I’ve found a job I love and now have a promising career ahead of me,” Meg said.

“Knowing that tradies are in short supply is a huge advantage for anyone thinking about a career in construction; I hope my story shows other females that if I can do it, they can too,” she concluded.

According to Job and Skills Australia, there are 142,200 qualified carpenters working in Australia, and females make up just 3 per cent of the current workforce, highlighting critical skills gaps in the building sector and the need to attract more people to the high-demand profession.