Saline Kaio, who is taking a construction and carpentry course exclusively for women, says she hopes her experience motivates others to pursue the trades.

Fifteen women began their first day of a two-week short course programme at the Australian Pacific Training Coalition (A.P.T.C): "Supporting Women in Construction".

The two-week short course will look at providing these women with basic skills in construction and carpentry.

Seline Kaio, 51, is a participant of the course who says she has always wanted to change her environment as she has been working as an administration finance officer for more than ten years.

She is a mother of five girls and one boy, and says she is happy to have taken up the course.

"It’s a pleasure for me to take the course because to change my environment to teach me how to [...] hold the hammer, how to cut timber, how to measure the measurements of timber," she said.

"Because my dad 's a carpenter, he’s been doing carpentry work for all his life."

Mrs. Kaio said that women can also do the work that men do.

"Not only women's work that I can do, but I can do man's work too which tells me that not only man's work this is also women's work as well," she said.

She said that women can take up these types of trades to support themselves and be self-reliant and added that with the course she is able to gain experience and skills.

"I might be able to end up a carpenter myself and end up earning more," she said.

Mrs. Kaio said that this is not only a field for men and she tells women that they too can become carpenters.

Looking at work typically done by men, she says she feels sorry for them being out in the sun and thinks many women might think it hard to replicate but that is not the case.

"No, no we can do it. Now I am joining the course and yes I can do it. I can become a carpenter and I will," she said.

The short course is made possible with funding from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (D.F.A.T), under Australia's COVID-19 Response Plan.