WOMEN IN WELDING Mulkeen Laura
Laura Mulkeen has for the past six years worked as a coded pipe welder based in Northern Ireland. Currently self-employed, she also works to inspire others, especially women to follow their own passions and find fulfilment in their work.
Tell us a little about yourself; where you are based and what type of work you do. I’m based in Derry, Northern Ireland. My career actually started in event management. I had expressed an interest in learning a trade when I was a school leaver. However, as is the case with many young women, I was dissuaded, and pursued a more traditional career. I went to university and got an undergraduate degree and Masters. My twenties were spent working as an event manager in Belfast and Dublin. I worked hard and was highly regarded, but truth be told, the work leſt me somewhat unfulfilled. I relocated across the country in 2015 and struggled to find work. The free time and change of scene gave me some time to reflect on what I really wanted to do. The local training board happened to run an excellent basic welding course near where I lived. I’m still not quite sure what made me do it, but I signed up for a full-time course. It was clear quite quickly that welding held something special for me. There’s an almost spiritual relationship you can have with that small pool of molten metal. A magic in how you can persuade it into doing your will. Welding and I proved to be a very good fit. I progressed through more full-time courses, culminating in Coded Pipe Welding. Since then, I’ve become a self-employed pipe welder. To date, my work has mostly been workshop-based, welding stainless and carbon steel pipe for engineering companies in Northern Ireland.
What are your career goals? As much as I enjoy the skill and preciseness of pipe welding, I’m ready for a new challenge. Right now, I’m setting up my own small fabrication shop. This
rhythm and controlling your motion, very quickly they realise that they may be a great fit for something they’ve never been given the opportunity to consider. The academic route isn’t for everyone. Whilst I have strengths in that area, college and an office job didn’t make me happy. We need to get away from the outdated concept that university is more valuable than learning a trade. I feel 100% more comfortable in the workshop than in the meeting room, so just because university is an option, it’s not necessarily the right choice for everyone.
is a totally new departure for me, but I’m excited to build a business from the ground up. It’s exciting to think of designing products and making beautiful, functional things from raw materials. Whilst it’s daunting, I’m so fired up to make this work. My goal is ultimately to weld things that I will really enjoy and can be totally immersed in. I’d like to meet some great people and inspire other women along the way. That to me would be a pretty good picture of success. It’s about finding happiness in what you do each day.
Why do you feel women aren’t widely encouraged to consider welding as a career option? There’s a widely perpetuated narrative when it comes to women and trades that, “You wouldn’t like this”. Whilst many boys are shown and allowed to participate in manual jobs at a young age, this is less true for girls. We’re very oſten raised to feel like we have no business trying manual work. It’s heart-breaking really. So many women are denied the opportunity to even think about careers that they might absolutely excel in, just because of narrow- minded thinking. I’ve given VR welding demonstrations quite a few times and it’s always satisfying to see women try it and see their interest sparked. When they realise it’s about steadiness of hand,
What should be done to change this? For a start, it’s a no-brainer that women should be encouraged to become tradespeople. There’s a huge skills shortfall (the American Welding Society has revealed it will face a shortage of 400,000 operators by 2024), so it makes absolute sense to actively recruit women into trades. There’s so much social conditioning that tells us we are not capable of taking up a trade, so creating opportunities for hands-on experience is invaluable. When women are given that chance to physically try welding, very oſten they see quickly how appealing it can be. For that reason, practical initiatives like funded workshops and hand-on demonstrations in schools, training organisations and education and trade fairs are a great idea. I’d love to see engineering and welding companies being proactive; getting into schools and funding initiatives that actively encourage young people into the industry through practical experiences. Equally, having tradeswomen talk directly to young people to share their experience can be so helpful. If you can see it, you can be it. Social media, despite its pitfalls, is proving to be an excellent tool for both networking and showcasing what tradeswomen are doing. My hope is that attitudes will continue to change for the better. As tradeswomen, we constantly have to justify our career decisions and prove our abilities much more than our male counterparts. We are very oſten subjected to belittling and passive-aggressive attitudes. With increasing visibility online and in the workplace, I really hope that the concept of tradeswomen will become normalised. We’ve come a long way, but there’s so much more that needs to happen. ■
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