by Rachel Abbot - Welding, Gas & Abrasives Specialist for Blackwoods

Growing up I always liked fixing things, so when I got a little older I knew the career path I wanted to go down would be different to what a lot of people consider normal for a girl. I wanted to go into a trade.

When I was in Year 10 in 2008 I decided that welding was the field that held the most interest to me and I applied for a pre-apprenticeship in Bunbury, WA, where I'd spent my early teen years.

I was the only female in my class of 20. For the most part I wasn’t treated any differently for being the only girl, but in myself I suppose still felt I had to prove myself – try and earn my stripes – and I used this for extra motivation.

While a lot of my classmates were out galavanting around town over TAFE holidays, I’d be putting in the extra hours at my work experience placement that led me to employment after the pre apprenticeship.  I was lucky enough to be working in a really great workshop and have a mentor who helped push me and motivate me even further (Shout-out to Alfab Engineering Bunbury!).

I knew I’d put in the work over the past four years, so I was absolutely stoked when I found out I’d been accepted for a cadetship at Lincoln Electric, the largest manufacturer of welding equipment in the world. There were five of us selected for the program and again I was the only girl. I was also the first female in over 70 years to become a cadet for Lincoln Electric Australian. 

Being the only girl didn’t phase me the first time and it didn’t phase me this time. It was just something I knew would be the norm in the career I’d chosen.

The cadetship with Lincoln helped me gain experience across different facets of business I hadn’t really experienced before. I was learning sales and marketing, and my success in these fields relied heavily on my technical background. On any given day I’d be advising companies on how we can help improve their processes, give my recommendations for ideal solutions, perform product demos and set up equipment for them.

After completing my cadetship I decided to take up an opportunity on the other side of the country with a full time sales role for Lincoln in Sydney. At the time of my arrival the company was in the process of a massive renovation of its local headquarters and I spent many a night putting my welding talents to good use on the staircases and signage of the new look locale.

At the end of last year I decided to take the next step in my career and take up an offer as a Gas & Welding Specialist with Blackwoods in Newcastle on the north coast of NSW. The opportunity to work for a large Australian company with such great history behind it really appealed to me, and being a part of a great West Australian business like Wesfarmers really makes me proud.

I’ve just turned 25 and have been in the industry for nearly ten years. I am proud to be a woman in welding and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to any young girls. While you do get the occasional hero who will have a go at you when you visit their workshop, for the most part people are pretty good. I’ve grown up in this environment and my skills and experience speaks for itself. Still, if someone wants to try and give a bit of stick I’m happy to give it straight back.

Welding is first and foremost a passion for me, but it is also a career and I want to continue to upskill and learn as much as possible. I’ve come to see how many different pathways there are that can be taken, and how many opportunities present themselves to you if you’re willing to put in the work and have a go.

Manufacturing work in Australia has faced a lot of challenges in recent years, but I’m confident we can combat these challenges with improved processes and technology, especially in automation. I’d really love to see more upskilling and new way of learning across the entire industry. I still see boilermakers spending parts of their day in a welding booth, but also learning the operation and programming of a robot.

Whatever happens I want to continue to improve personally and be prepared to move with the times. Over the past ten years I’ve really loved working in welding as a woman – bring on the next ten.