Karen
Karen
What's your trade or industry?
Where are you?
What's your role?
What is important to you when choosing a career?
That my work is aligned with my personal values and is meaningful.
What's something you have learnt from delivering workshops with SALT?
I have learnt so much!!!!!
The thing that hit me on an earlier tour is not just the impact that the workshops have on students, but the ripple effect on their teachers and families too.
The teachers get to see students thrive in a practical, supportive environment and demonstrate their skills. The families get to see what their children can achieve. Hopefully this sparks discussions on future careers and job choices, and they get supported with those!
What's your favourite tool in your belt?
In the workshops it is the jigsaw. When I first used a jigsaw, I don't think I was very good at it. Now that I know how to use it properly it has so much potential - I even cut out a shark with teeth, to challenge myself one day when we were talking about totems.
My Bacho utility knife and my trusty nips are my favourite tools on site.
How did you come to your trade or industry?
I became a Carpenter when I was 28. When my home was being renovated by a builder I took some time off my regular job to help out. I enjoyed so much about working with the team and learning how to build, that when he said he'd take me on as an apprentice I looked into Carpentry as a Trade. I did a pre-apprenticeship course at Randwick TAFE, then finished my apprenticeship in Sydney and worked in the ACT. I loved working on extensions and renovations and decided to do the Cert IV in Building.
While I was studying at nights, my apprentice was struggling with his studies during the day. I was asked to support him with his studies and enjoyed teaching him and another apprentice with learning difficulties. CIT (TAFE) then offered me a job as a Carpentry Teacher and I worked there for 8 years, taking every opportunity I could to improve and modernise the teaching resources (and myself)!
I made a career change and managed a not-for-profit organisation, then returned to CIT to eventually become the Head of Construction Department. When SALT started to expand very rapidly in 2023 I was employed as the Deputy CEO. Now I am proud to carry on the life changing work that so many SALT tradeswomen and allies have developed.
What are you excited about for the future?
I'm excited about SALT being able to gather some longitudinal data about the impact of our workshops, to see where former participants have ended up.
I'm also excited about strengthening our networking and membership connections.
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