P30-31 Women in Electrics:Layout 1 26/05/2021 15:33 Page 30 Interview
from careers in the electrical sector?
Brett Smyth, general manager of Ideal Industries EMEA,the specialist in tools and accessories for the electrical installation sector, interviews Amy Barratt-Singh,an electrician the company is sponsoring, who has established a successful career aſter retraining as an electrician just four years ago. While there has been a 366 percent increase in the number of women beginning apprenticeships in construction and engineering disciplines over the past five years, female electricians still only make up 11.5 percent of all tradeswomen and only three percent of all electricians.
Brett: What made you want to become an electrician? Amy: My grandad was a plumber and, as a kid, I loved helping him do jobs and developed an enjoyment for learning practical skills. My two brothers grew up to be electricians but, as a girl, I was never encouraged in that direction at school or at home. I suppose I didn’t really consider it as an option so I ended up working in education. It was only when I went travelling for a year that I was able to step back and think about what I wanted from a career. Travelling also gave me the confidence to go for it, and I definitely needed that because I had returned to college as a mature student, paid for my course and continued working to keep paying the bills. On top of all that, I had to deal with being the only women on my course. But I absolutely loved it and I knew it was what I wanted to do so, as tough as it was at the time, it was worth it.
Brett: Were your friends and family supportive of your choice? Amy: There was a real male/female split in the response to my decision to retrain as an electrician. My mum was really encouraging and my female friends were very supportive because they knew I really wanted it. I think women are really inspired by other women breaking down stereotypes and
30 | electrical wholesalerJune 2021
just going for it – I get a lot of customers on domestic installations asking me to speak to their daughters about my job and I love being part of inspiring the next generation of girls to follow their dreams, regardless of traditional gender roles.
Brett: What did you find most challenging about training as an electrician? Amy: Getting people to take me seriously was quite challenging at first and, because I had bills to pay, despite being in college 25 hours a week, I was working as many hours as I could to pay for my course and my living expenses too. That commitment is what helped me to gain the respect of my peers though, so it definitely paid off.
Brett: What about the challenges since you’ve qualified? Amy: Most colleagues and customers are great and really supportive but I still come across quite toxic misogyny every now and then, which can be quite upsetting. I’ve had a customer tell my previous boss that he wasn’t prepared to pay as much for me to work on his development as a male colleague, for example.
ewnews.co.uk
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