Meet Lizzy: A Day in The Life of a Female Concreting Apprentice

“Don’t be afraid to get stuck in.”

This post is in partnership with Construction Training Fund. 

The thought of entering a male-dominated industry like construction might be a bit nerve-wracking. So much so, you might even count it out as a career pathway altogether.

But, second-year concreting apprentice Lizzy Eaton reckons it's the best decision she's ever made.

We got her to take us through what attracted her to concreting, a day in her life, and show us how rewarding a job in construction can be.

How it started.

After 11 years in the police force, Lizzy was keen for a change, but “had no idea” what she wanted to do.

She says how she got into concreting was “quite random actually,” but her prerequisites were simple – she wanted to keep fit, be outdoors, and go off the beaten path.

“I don't like being boring! I wanted to do something that’ll challenge me every day and isn’t something that everyone else is doing,” she said.

Despite loving Lego as a kid and being an avid watcher of The Block, it was Lizzy’s drive to be a trailblazer that inspired her to head down the concrete path, and she’s never looked back.

“To me, it was something that I could study and learn whilst having a job as well, like fitting all the puzzle pieces together, in a way.”

She got in touch with ABN Training, was told concreting was a trade she could start straight away, and, with their support, training and opportunities, excelled from the very start of her apprenticeship. 

The rest is history.

How it’s going.

Now, Lizzy works in a team consisting of herself and her boss Brad, who sounds like an absolute legend.

Known widely as ‘Mad Brad’ or ‘Captain Concrete’, he’s been an inspiring, supportive force in Lizzy’s journey.

“He's ridiculous. The things that he can pull off, no one else can do… So, we get all the hard jobs!” she says.

Lizzy winning concreting apprentice of the year. (Image: supplied)

Take us through a day in your life.

Lizzy’s an early riser, which is something she’s held onto from her police days.

She’ll usually kick off her day with exercise, and depending on where site is, that can be quite early.

“It can be slightly excessive... I've gotten up as early as quarter past two for a five AM start so I could exercise and go for a run beforehand and get it over and done with, because I'm weird like that,” she jokes.

She’s usually out the door around six, then pouring concrete around seven.

Lizzy and Brad mainly work on new homes, with some rebuilds thrown in from time-to-time.

Depending on the day, they’ll either be digging out footings, getting them ready for the pour the next day, or pouring the slab.

“We're only at the same place for maybe two days at a time, which I love, because you're always somewhere different,” Lizzy says.

They work rain, hail, or shine, which is handy because fun fact: concrete can dry underwater!

Would you recommend construction to other gals?

“Definitely. I would love to see another girl in concrete,” Lizzy says.

She says although concreting is probably one of the harder trades, its difficulty is outweighed by how gratifying it is. For a lot of home builders, “the slab” signifies the start of an exciting chapter toward their dream home.

“You're starting someone's dream come true and it's so awesome and rewarding,” she says.

Her tip for any other female thinking about entering the construction industry: “Don’t be afraid to get stuck in.”

“Back when I was little, you'd never see a female tradie or if you did, you'd be like, ‘oh that's different’. Girls are doing everything that guys are doing these days, so why not?” she said.

On the job! (Image: supplied)

What’s next?

Concreting is the shortest apprenticeship, so Lizzy is at the start of her second and final year now.

She hopes to stick around with Brad for a bit longer, find her feet as a concreter, and even run her own team one day.

“My partner has actually suggested having an all-female concrete team, which would be so cool… There's definitely so much more room for a bit more girl power out there, so who knows!” she says.

Keen to jump into an apprenticeship like Lizzy did? Heck yeah you are! 

CTF can get you started by helping you find your ideal job and putting you on the right pathway to get there. They've even got opportunities to get you into the construction industry as early as Year 9 and you can check it all out here!