Apprentice Carpenter Candice Arnall is on a mission to help more women in the Building and Construction Industry, and she makes a pretty compelling case!

At 38 years of age, Candice is a second-year Carpentry apprentice who decided on a career change. She worked for many years in administration and office-based work. Candice describes herself as being a practical tinkerer, who is always the person on hand to fix things. She had just never previously considered a trade as a career choice. But after a brief break from her role in administration whilst she was heavily involved in her home renovations – she began her research into an apprenticeship. Candice found the Master Builders website and decided to register her interest. Within a couple of hours, a Master Builders representative called Candice to discuss Apprenticeship options, and the rest is history.

Candice enrolled in the Master Builders Pre-Apprenticeship program, an entry–level training program that provides an induction to the industry and a Carpentry trade prior to commencing an apprenticeship. Within the group of 15, some had never even picked up a tool before. A couple of women in the program agreed that they were waiting for their husbands to fix things around the house so wanted to take matters into their own hands. Some already worked in the industry but wanted to gain hands-on experience. Some participants were school leavers, nervously testing the waters of a potential career in construction.

We asked Candice what she liked about Carpentry work. “It’s the energy, the planning, the dirt, and the sweat,” she says. “It’s more than just the result, although that is always a source of immense pride. What I like most is the entire building process from start to finish and looking back at what I have accomplished.”

Because Candice is passionate about women in construction, she has been identified as the ideal Master Builders representative for the NSW Government-funded Women in Construction Industry Innovation Program. She is taking some time out from her apprenticeship and is on a mission to fulfill the Women in Construction Career Pathways Officer role. Candice is on the road across regional NSW to promote careers in the building and construction industry to high school students, high school careers advisors, job seekers, parents, industry participants, and key stakeholders. And it’s stories like Candice’s that inspire other women to make a start in the industry.

Candice has her eyes set on the future. Once she completes her apprenticeship, she plans on working towards gaining her building licence. Candice plans to start her own construction business and help more women like her make a start in the industry.

If you would like to know more about Master Builders participation in the Women in Construction Industry Innovation Program visit the website https://www.mbaapprenticeship.com.au/women-in-construction/

Here you will find helpful information on how to make a start in the construction industry.