Part of a record-breaking class of female saw doctor apprentices at TAFE NSW Tumut are Hayley Wilson, Kelsey Sheehy and Hayley Hampson, with TAFE NSW Tumut forestry teacher Fred Dean. Photo: TAFE NSW Tumut.
Three female apprentices in the Riverina are marking a historic gender shift as they start their journey within the traditionally male-dominated Australian timber industry.
TAFE NSW Tumut will train Kelsey Sheehy from Oberon, Hayley Hampson from Riverstone and Hayley Wilson from Brisbane as saw technicians.
The Tumut campus welcomed a record number of first-year female apprentices to one of only two forestry training providers in Australia.
Kelsey once saw herself as a ‘girly girl’ in high school, dreaming of a career in hairdressing or nursing.
The 20-year-old’s career aspirations shifted dramatically following a part-time job as a production worker at Highland Pine in Oberon. This job sparked a love for a timber mill’s fast pace and frenetic energy and secured Kelsey a job as an apprentice saw technician earlier this year.
“I never thought I’d be doing a job like this, but it’s such an interesting profession, and you get a front-row seat to such an important industry,” Kelsey said.
“Saw doctors are a critical part of the industry, and it’s great to be working on the machines.
“I’m really proud to be part of the first generation of women coming through as saw doctors.”
As part of the training, Kelsey and her fellow apprentices visited Visy Pulp and Paper, a world-class facility that annually produces over 680,000 tonnes of high-quality paper.
Kelsey said that during her first week of training, she gained deeper insights into how different mills operated and met the other apprentices.
Tumut and Tumbarumba are home to a forestry industry that employs nearly 18 per cent of the region’s workforce.
However, according to Jobs and Skills Australia, just one per cent of the nation’s saw technicians are female.
The Tumut campus is known for giving apprentice saw doctors nationwide the skills and experience to forge long careers in the industry.
TAFE NSW Tumut forestry teacher Fred Dean said this year’s apprentice saw technician enrolments had reached a record high for the campus.
“It’s such a specific trade and people are realising there’s so much job security in it as we’ll be using timber for many years to come,” said Mr Dean, also a leading hand at the local mill, AKD.
“It’s great to see female saw technicians start to come through.
“Technology has really changed the game in saw technology, and it’s now more than just a hands-on trade.”
Saw technicians, also known as saw doctors, are an irreplaceable part of the timber industry. They repair, set, and sharpen saw blades for timber production.
TAFE NSW Tumut draws apprentice saw technicians from across the nation’s timber regions for three one-week face-to-face learning blocks each year on the campus’s industry-standard equipment.
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