Girl power Women take on a high wire act
The Guardian Weekly|January 06, 2023
A groundbreaking line school is expanding the workforce and challenging attitudesin amale-dominated field
Soraya Kishtwari
Girl power Women take on a high wire act

Marianela Hernández Valencia knows what life off-grid is like. "As a child, Igrew up in a house without electricity, which meant having to do homework by candlelight," she said. "It was difficult." The 28-year-old is among 15 women hoping to graduate as one of Colombia's first intake of apprentice line women, in La Ceja, a small town about 40km south-east of Medellín, the country's second-largest city.

Line workers scale towers and transmission lines high above the ground to install and repair power cables. They are often the first responders after a storm or natural disaster and are regularly away from home for long periods.

Graduates of the year-long pilot project, led by ISA, Latin America's largest energy transmission company, with the training group Tener Futuro Corporation, are guaranteed a job with one of two contractors, Instelec and Salomón Durán. Students are taught about safety, rigging and knot tying, all in a hands-on environment.

As more companies seek to diversify the workplace, it might seem there has never been a better time for women to enter the trade. Yet, few women had previously considered applying.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 06, 2023 من The Guardian Weekly.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 06, 2023 من The Guardian Weekly.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

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