Sparks, heat and bright light. Welding is mainly a male profession. Yet there are also plenty of women who enjoy it. Eight girls from various secondary schools in the region demonstrated this on Wednesday at the Summa College. It is an initiative of 15-year-old Steffi and her father Marc. “Women can sometimes even do this better.”
Steffi Mantz first heard about welding at the age of 8 and was immediately interested. And not only Steffi felt something for it, but also her father Marc. Together they therefore organised a series of lessons to learn to weld well. And seven other teenage girls also joined in, to take lessons at the Summa College.
Male profession
Despite the fact that welding is known as a male profession, it doesn’t stop the young ladies. “When I walked in here for the first time, there were all these men on the stairs, smoking a bit. I thought: oh, what am I walking into now”, says Esmee van Ooijen, one of the girls who takes the lessons. Steffi thinks it’s a shame that many people think it’s a male thing: “Women can do it just as well and sometimes even better, because women are often more precise and accurate.”
Hobby
Whether the ladies will continue after the lessons is the question: “I don’t think I would do it as a profession, but more as a hobby,” says Esmee laughing. “I don’t know if I want to be a welder, but I know for sure that I want to do something in metal technology,” says Steffi.
“I have more registrations than I could accommodate, so there will be a sequel,” says Marc. He expects it to become an annual activity and then in the future it will not only be for girls. Boys are also very welcome.
Source: Studio040
For Eindhoven News: Lila Mehrez
