After recently seeing its apprentice electrician Harmony Court, become the first female winner of the Master Electrician’s Apprentice of the year Challenge, Leck Electrical hopes her victory will encourage more women to enter the traditionally male dominated industry.
Leck Electrical currently hosts Harmony through training provider The Electrical Training Company (ETCO).
Bryce Leckie, the Director for Leck Electrical, says women bring a different dynamic to the industry than men, and there’s no tolerance any more to consider being an electrician as a “man’s” job.
“Currently, only 5.9 percent of electrical apprentices directly employed through ETCO this year are female. In New Zealand’s current economy there’s a growing demand for qualified electricians, so we need to encourage more females to join our industry and like Harmony, offer a career to them that is dynamic and rewarding.”
It was clear from the onset for Leck Electrical, that Court would become an excellent electrician. She displayed a great attitude towards her work, was highly customer focused and brought great skills to the role.
Says Leckie, “Harmony has excellent relationships with all our customers and is a practical and logical thinker. Her eye for detail means she can see things from a different perspective in terms of design and strategic planning.”
Court exemplifies the value of bringing more women into the trades, and her victory will no doubt spur more women to enter the industry. Leck Electrical would like to help encourage that in any way. Having a female electrician on their team gives them an added competitive advantage in the electrical industry.
Last year Court was a finalist in the Master Electrician Apprentice of the year competition, but came short of taking out the nationwide title.
This year, following an extensive practical examination held over three days, she went on to win the Electrical Apprentice of the Year – Domestic/Commercial division, with over 150 entrants competing in the regional competitions nationwide. The competition is in its 16th year of running.
“I didn’t realise being the first female winner of the competition would be such a big deal, so the avalanche of congratulations from clients to the public has been awesome,” Court says. “I was determined to pick up the win, and with the support of Leck Electrical practised hard this year. To come out on top is not only an incredible personal achievement, but well-deserved recognition for Bryce, who is very progressive in terms of equal opportunities for his staff.”
Court says clients are still surprised to see a female tradie turn up. With the win, she will continue her learning and developing her career further at Leck Electrical.
