Swinburne Plumbing alum, Aimee Stanton, is reshaping the trades industry, not just for women, but for anyone who has ever felt like they didn't fit the mould.
Having gone through a troubled period during high school, she found herself without any goals or aspirations for her future. Her first attempt at a career path involved following her friends to beauty school during Year 11 and 12, which she admits she was "hopeless at!"
By the time she graduated from high school, Aimee wasn't any clearer on her path and ended up labouring for her dad, who was a builder. It was here that she discovered her love for working with her hands and decided to give a trade a crack.
Soon after enrolling in a plumbing pre-apprenticeship, she was faced with the familiar challenges of a women entering a career in the trades. After completing her pre-apprenticeship, she applied for over 120 jobs and only heard back from one.
During her first week on the job, Aimee got her head stuck in a scaffold, crashed her car through the job site fence, got a piece of metal stuck in her butt and fell through a roof, landing on a man eating a sandwich.
In 2012, Aimee joined Swinburne to complete a Certificate II and Certificate III in plumbing, however, her experience on the work sites didn't get much easier, and she was continually left feeling like she had to prove herself as the only woman on site.
As she recalls, "I went home and cried most nights, but I kept telling myself - I am just learning, and maybe a little bit clumsy. Onwards and upwards, if I just keep focusing on learning and growing, I'll get through it."
Onwards and upwards she went
Aimee persevered with her apprenticeship and went on to win awards in the trade, leading to a successful plumbing career for 10 years. Her work took her to different states across the country, but she got to a point where she was ready to tackle her own projects.
"I always said I was going to get a trade under my belt, then go out and chase my dreams and incorporate the trade into it."
Soon after she started a business with her brother, Ben, called Tiny Stays , building and renting out tiny houses around Melbourne to encourage people to go back into nature and escape the daily grind.
Aimee and Ben's Tiny Stays business, bringing people back to nature.
It was also during this period that Zadie Workwear was born; a workwear label designed for women. Having struggled for ten years with finding workwear that fit her correctly, Aimee set out to do something about it. She spent two to three years testing and researching products, resulting in the creation of a functional workwear range 'built by tradeswomen and specifically crafted to fit women's hips, butts and thighs'.
.JPG/_jcr_content/renditions/cq5dam.web.3840.2160.jpeg "_DSC9778(1).JPG")
Aimee has since gone on to become a passionate advocate for women in the trades and testament to the fact that, by persevering and not giving up, you can find your own path to success.
Her advice to other trade students starting out is simple. "You're going to mess up, it's going to be an absolute roller coaster, but just enjoy the ride and you will come out the other end with a solid foundation to build your dream life and the skills that will be so useful throughout."
