At just 18, Master Builders apprentice Ruby Iles embodies this year’s International Women’s Day theme, “Give to Gain”, bringing energy, confidence and a genuine love for carpentry to her role at North 4 Constructions, a residential builder in Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
North 4 Constructions delivers both exterior and interior residential work, from renovations through to custom-designed additions and extensions. Ruby’s father Danny runs the business and is also a long-standing Master Builders NSW member and host employer who has hosted several apprentices over the years. The father-daughter duo are passionate about the industry and giving back to the community.
For Ruby, going into the Carpentry trade was never about making a statement. It started with genuine interest. “What initially sparked my interest was always seeing my dad work. The type of building that he did was so intriguing to me. I was the only one out of my brother and me who really had an interest in it.”
That interest turned into action early. At 15, Ruby completed a week of work experience with her dad’s company. “She came back at the end of it and said it was the best week she’d ever had,” Danny recalls. “That pleasantly surprised me.”
By 16, Ruby had started a School-Based Apprenticeship (SBAT) in Carpentry, balancing school, paid on-site work and TAFE. “I was learning two different worlds at the same time, including TAFE. It was challenging, but I tried to make it as easy for myself as I could.”
While she recalls feeling like a “lone ranger” as the only student in her high school pursuing an SBAT, her focus remained on the finish line. “I knew that after that year I finished high school, that I wanted to do this and continue it.”
For Danny, the structured pathway provided by the SBAT was an opportunity too good to pass up. “I just thought it was a great idea. I thought, ‘I wish I had that type of thing when I was in high school.’”
Watching Ruby’s commitment to her apprenticeship has been one of the most rewarding parts of the experience for Danny. “She’s very practically oriented for problem-solving and working with materials. I feel immensely proud that she’s doing so well. It’s great to see her develop her skills for the trade.”
On-site, Ruby works as part of a small, close-knit team, something she greatly values. “We always get to know our client and the people we’re working with. Our work relationships are awesome. It feels like a family.”
That culture is noticed by others in the community too, with Ruby mentioning that “there was a lady down the road at one of our jobs who said, ‘Those people have to be the happiest construction workers I’ve ever seen because all they do is laugh all day!’”
With support from Master Builders Apprenticeship Services, providing an environment that allows apprentices to learn and grow in the trade is important to builders like Danny. “Building a safe and encouraging workplace is the first thing,” he says. “Construction can be intimidating when you’re just finishing or leaving school. Making people feel welcome and supported matters.”
Danny views this investment in the next generation of young men and women in trades as vital, perfectly aligning with the ‘Give to Gain’ spirit. He believes that for the industry to thrive, experienced builders must be willing to share their expertise. “As we get older, it’s critical that knowledge is passed on,” Danny argues. “Encouraging young people into trades is imperative for the longevity of the industry.”
For Ruby, the professional and personal often overlap, particularly through the TAFE community. She points out that her trainers are often familiar faces in the water. “I know most of them outside of TAFE as well,” Ruby says. “I see them when I’m out for a surf and always say ‘Hey!’ One of them was my dad’s teacher at TAFE. It’s a really good community.”
Ruby acknowledges that, as a young woman, starting a career in construction can be intimidating at first. “I was worried about being judged silently, even just wearing my work outfit. But no one did, and that was incredible.”
Working in construction has never been about proving herself or pushing back against stereotypes for Ruby. It has been about choosing a path that genuinely makes her happy. “You shouldn’t do your job to try to prove something to others,” she says. “You should do it because you love it and because it makes you happy.”
She is also quick to challenge the idea that women in trades are still a rarity. From her experience on site, at TAFE and through her wider network, the picture is changing, even if it is not always visible from the outside. “There are so many more women out there than you think that do this job,” she says.
When asked what she would say to other young women considering a trade, Ruby’s advice is simple and confident. “I would just say go do it. There shouldn’t be anything stopping you, it’s a fantastic job, and it’s so rewarding! Everyone needs a home, and building that for others is an incredible reward in life.”
With her trade qualification on the horizon, Ruby is looking at how she can apply her skills overseas. “I really want to do some other travel,” she says. “I want to go back to the United States of America because I’m a dual citizen and do some carpentry work over there. We’re also going to start building our house here pretty soon, which will be really awesome.”
Building has already taken her far from home, and taught her some unique carpentry methods, with Ruby explaining, “My mum is from Alaska, so we’ve built a log cabin on our property there. We try to go back once a year to work on it. It’s such a different experience compared to here, you use different tools, and there’s a lot of chiselling. It’s very old-style work.”
Ruby’s journey is a local example of the “Give to Gain” philosophy in action, showing that when the right support meets genuine passion, the whole industry stands to win.
