When 16-year-old Milana Julie Dodangoda told her friends and family she was going to Leicester College to learn skills such as plumbing and carpentry, there were a few shocked faces.
Milana is one of 128 female apprentices who have been taken on by Leicester City Council over the past 25 years to learn new skills such as plumbing, painting and decorating, and electrics. This year, 15 trainees have enrolled on the five-year Maintenance and Operations Level 2 Apprenticeship – a third of which are female.
The apprenticeship enables the learners to become qualified and skilled in a variety of areas, so at the end of the course, they are ready to take on a job with Leicester City Council, carrying out maintenance on its 22,000-odd tenanted properties.
Milana said: “I think people were quite shocked at what I was choosing to do because I am quite a girly girl. Everybody said it was going to be hard and I expected that. But I like to surprise people.”
Leicester City Council’s Apprentice Co-ordinator, Barry Sullivan, said: “More than 50 per cent of the population is female, but that still isn’t reflected in our workforce. We feel it’s important to reflect both the local community and our customers. But it’s not just a matter of equality, it makes business sense too. Some of our customers prefer to have a woman come to their house.”
At 16, Milana is the youngest apprentice on the course this year. She explains: “At home it’s just me and my mum. She has always taken care of everything that needs doing in the house and I’ve helped her along the way. Between us we’ve decorated, laid floor boards and re-tiled walls, so home maintenance was something I already had an interest.”
“To get the chance to learn five different trades on one course is a big opportunity for me. I didn’t feel university was for me as I wanted to gain more practical experience. I know five years is a big commitment, but I’m working towards qualifications with the College and will hopefully have a career with the council when it comes to an end.”
Barry added: “Both the Council and Leicester College are leading the way in creating positive action for encouraging women to study trades that are traditionally targeted at men. Other organisations offer apprenticeships but we really believe our course is more in depth and better quality than some others out there.”
