GTI wants more women, girls in technical fields

Against the backdrop of a growing demand for more technical skills locally, the Government Technical Institute (GTI) hopes it can encourage more women and girls to study in technical and vocational areas.

An open day, titled ‘the Jill of all Trades,’ was organised on Friday to showcase the work of some of the current women and girls at the school.

And according to the school’s principal Dr. Renita Crandon-Duncan, such events are necessary to help attract more students since there is a perception that technical fields are male-dominated and women aren’t interested in such studies.

“That is just a myth,” she told the News Room.

Crandon- Duncan, who studied mechanical engineering herself, said more women and girls are enrolling. There are currently 1,928 students at the GTI and 306 of those students are females.

For her, there is much more room for many more female students to join the institute and pursue technical studies. So the school was keen on showcasing the work of the current students, and it was intent on providing a space for any prospective student to get firsthand information on what studying there would be like.

The students had interesting stories whether they were studying engineering, the sciences or technology

Princess Baboolall, a mechanical major, grew up around vehicles. Her dad is a mechanic and has an auto shop. She wanted to be more than an inquisitive child, keen on helping her father out. So Baboolall opted to study mechanical engineering and get the necessary certifications.

“I was like you know what, I should further my studies in this and get into the business,” she said.

Jessica Moore, an agriculture machinery student, was also fascinated by vehicles and parts- huge ones that belong to agriculture equipment and machinery. As the only female student in her class, Moore related that she often treated as the ‘little sister’ of the class but that hasn’t stopped her from immersing herself in the technical studies.

“If you’re into it and you put your mind to it, and you like it, you put your mind to it, you can start it and you can do it.

“Hopefully one day, I can open my own workshop,” she said.