Celebrating women of GOTAFE
Every year, International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of women in TAFE and industry.
Every year, International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of women in TAFE and industry.
For Katie Sellick, Trainer and Assessor Plumbing at GOTAFE, International Women’s Day represents empowerment and motivation.
“International Women’s Day represents an acceptance of any women who want to try anything. I feel as though women can do whatever job they want,” she said.
Katie is a big advocate for making sure women are given equal opportunity, and the space to learn.
While acknowledging there is still a way to go, Katie feels “a lot more work and involvement has occurred in the past few years to encourage women in the trade.”
Here at GOTAFE, she has found a workplace to share her knowledge and provide an opportunity for young people to grow in a safe and inclusive space.
“The best part of my job is the involvement and the thrill of watching a younger generation of plumbers succeed and be happy with the end results of their practical jobs and tasks,” she said.
Motorcycle Mechanics student Haley Hopkins, who won the bronze medal at the 2022 WorldSkills Regional Competition, rode bikes all the time as a kid. The passion grew and she chose to pursue a career in motorcycle mechanics.
Haley said “competing in WorldSkills has been quite a unique experience for me. It had a lot to do with proving my worth as a female in this trade.”
For Haley, winning the bronze medal proved to herself and to others that she is a competent mechanic and is just as capable as the boys in her class.
Being the only woman in the trade and in her class has been challenging. GOTAFE has provided her with a study and work environment wherein the teachers are supportive, and classmates are always open to helping each other.
“My teachers have always supported me a lot. I’ve been the only female in the industry for a long time. But connecting with other people that share the same passion as you is fantastic. Everyone is happy to help and you can build some close friendships,” said Haley.
Director Asset Management and Facilities at GOTAFE Maree Walker is an advocate for independence and safety and is passionate about her job.
“I just started to really find my niche in asset management, so I went back and did my Postgraduate in Infrastructure Engineering and Management - the rest was sort of history.”
Maree has a daughter who motivates her to empower others and uses her role at GOTAFE to make positive change and impact on people’s lives.
“Sometimes she just makes the slightest comment to her friends or even to me about my work or what I do and the achievements I've made. That makes me so proud… it shows that she can go off and achieve whatever she wants and do whatever she wants in her career and in her life,” she said.
Wilna Fourie, Education Project Lead at GOTAFE leads local communities on a path toward positive change, inspiring everyone that you can achieve anything you set your dreams on.
“I’ve realised along the journey that it’s not always whether someone else has done it first, it’s about you doing it for yourself,” explained Wilna.
Wilna is passionate about all things business and IT and has empowered others through various roles during her time with GOTAFE.
“It's about recognizing the skills and the attributes that women can bring to a workplace. I think it's inside ourselves as well that we need to recognize that we should be stepping forward,” she said.
Only 22% of computing jobs in the world are held by women, but Michelle McNab, Trainer and Assessor Information Technology is hopeful this will change and is using her role to increase those numbers.
“Traditionally, it's been a male-dominated industry and we're starting to get rid of that stigma,” Michelle said.
“But we really need to market that to women, because women can do anything that men can do. I think the best person for the job should get the job regardless of their gender,”
From encouraging women to plan for their futures to striving for gender pay equity, GOTAFE recognises the multitude of ways that everyone – educators, employees, and students alike – can promote women’s independence and safety in TAFE.
On this International Women’s Day, what actions are you taking to promote women’s independence and safety in the classroom, workplace, and beyond?
