GL ASS & WINDOWS
FACES OF OUR INDUSTRY
WOMEN IN GLASS FROM SMASHING OUT WORLD-FIRSTS, TO CREATING OPPORTUNITIES AND PIONEERING THE WAY FORWARD FOR WOMEN IN GLASS, MEET SOME OF THE INCREDIBLE WOMEN MAKING THEIR MARK IN THE AUSTRALIAN GLASS INDUSTRY.
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istorically, glazing has been considered a male trade due to the manual handling requirements of the job. With advances in technology significantly changing the industry and revolutionising how glass is handled, we are seeing a broader reach of people in our industry. In 2014, only one percent of glaziers in Australia were female,1 yet by 2017 the number of female glaziers had increased to four per cent. And this number will keep on increasing bringing an amazing diversity to our industry and many benefits to employers. Glazing is one of the most in demand trades in Australia. 2 Meet some of the incredible women in the Australian glass industry who are smashing out world-firsts, creating opportunities and pioneering the way forward for women in glass.
KATE WENDT MANAGING DIRECTOR / GLAZIER & SHOPFITTER DRAGON GLASS LAMINATION & BLACK WIDOW AUSTRALIA WAGGA WAGGA, NEW SOUTH WALES dragonglass.net.au
'Using patented technology developed right here in Australia, on machinery designed by us, we manufacture the largest, highest quality, strongest, single glass laminated panels anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere.'
1. Source: The Courier Mail, ‘Ladies, this industry wants to teach you the trade’, Helen Spelitis, 10 March 2017. https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/ ipswich/ladies-this-industry-wants-to-teach-you-the-trade/news-story/ c4dc90515dcdb61da9c5c23e23526859 2. Australian Government Department of Home Affairs, Skilled Occupation List - https:// immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/skill-occupation-list
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ISSUE 10 SUMMER 2021
As a trade qualified glazier and joiner, licensed builder, and qualified project manager, Kate Wendt is a trailblazer in Australia’s glazing and glass lamination landscape. After spending three years in Europe learning about glass lamination, Kate developed prototype equipment in Barcelona and Shanghai and brought the knowledge and equipment back home to Australia. After establishing her lamination line in Goulburn, New South Wales, and then relocating her business to Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, due to COVID-19, Kate is proud of what Dragon Glass Lamination has achieved. 'We manufacture the largest, highest quality, strongest, single glass laminated panels anywhere in the southern hemisphere,' she explains. From glazing, project management, estimating, installation and managing Dragon Glass Lamination and Black Widow Australia, Kate still does every job in the business. 'I particularly get involved in large glazing jobs, going out on site to project manage and glaze. I recently worked with Retail Joinery Australia to glaze Balenciaga, a luxury shop fit out in Brisbane, Queensland,' she recalls. 'I love the versatility of my job,' Kate explains. 'Glazing isn’t glazing anymore – there is far more to the job than cutting glass. You need to understand structural elements, Australian Standards, engineering, and glass. You need to be an all rounder. You almost need to be an electrician to work with switchable glass! The job changes every day with the variety of projects and you need to stay up to date with what’s going on in Australia and overseas.' According to Kate, women are pushing the boundaries in the glass industry. 'It’s a diverse field where you can specialise, or be a jack of all trades. You can get involved in the engineering and structural side of glass, or its architectural applications. The future is limitless for women in glazing,' she says. Kate’s advice for someone starting out in the industry is to do the job to the best of your ability. 'Learn from the floor up and aim high! By becoming trade qualified and progressing through the ranks to management, you will understand everything by the time you get there.'
BUILTVIEW
