APWEN trains women in male-dominated trades

The President, Association of Professional Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN), Funmilola Ojelade, has said that the organisation is developing young women to take on male-dominated trades like welding, carpentry, plumbing, masonry and forklifting.

She stated this in Abuja, yesterday, at the ongoing International Conference and Annual General Meeting of the organisation with the theme ‘Women Engineers: Driving Digital Transformation in Nigeria’.

Ojelade said APWEN’s targeted beneficiaries for the above-mentioned jobs include National Diploma and secondary/technical school certificate holders through the outreach programme ‘Tools and Tiara’.

She added that APWEN received requests from some partners head-hunting for a logistics company in need of women forklift operators and working to fulfil the request.

According to her, various APWEN chapters in different states are also reaching out to ladies already in male-dominated trades to mentor and help them return to school.

Keynote speaker at the occasion, Oghogho Dixon, said when equipped, women could transform the Nigerian digital market.

“As much as men control the world, women are the ones that influence societal change. The progress of every society is pivoted on the dominant ideology of the women,” she added.