Going along to a Women in Trades Taster Day two years’ ago changed Claire Humphries’ life.
Having worked as a chef on luxury yachts in Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean as well as France for the previous 20 years, Claire still dreamt about pursuing a practical career.
And after attending one of our Women in Trades Taster Days, that dream became reality.
She applied for one of our electrician apprenticeship roles and she has never looked back.
Now she is encouraging women interested in a career in Trades to come along to our Taster Day on 11 June at Exeter College Construction Centre.
Claire said: “I had been working as a chef for 20 years and was unexpectedly made redundant.
“It gave me the impetus to try something new and I had always wanted to do a practical career.
“I spotted a social media post about LiveWest holding a Women in Trades Taster Day, so I thought there was no harm at going along.
“The day was fantastic and the people there were so supportive and encouraging.
“The college’s tutors and LiveWest tradespeople helped us all to try various activities such as decorating and carpentry.
“The beauty of it was the event was open to women with a variety of experience and age levels including those with no experience at all.
“I came out of the taster day 100% sure this is something I wanted to explore. It gave me the confidence I could do it.
“A few weeks later, LiveWest advertised their apprenticeship opportunities, and I applied straight away.
“The whole process was so supportive, and I have never looked back since.
“I am now two years into my apprenticeship and the training, support and working environment has been fantastic. I have loved every minute of it.”
Our taster day is a great opportunity to try your hand at the likes of plumbing, plastering, tiling and carpentry and see if a trades career is for you.
The event is open to women with a variety of experience and age levels including those who have no experience at all.