A 17-year-old apprentice from Denman is carrying on a three-generation family tradition in plumbing, as TAFE NSW works to bring more young people — and more women — into one of Australia’s most male-dominated trades.
Callie Hagan is a first-year plumbing apprentice working for her father’s business, D Hagan Plumbing, while completing a Certificate III in Plumbing at TAFE NSW Maitland.
Her father, Dan Hagan, entered the trade as an apprentice under his own father, making Callie the third generation of the family to pursue plumbing.
The career was not originally part of her plans.
After leaving school, Hagan initially pursued veterinary nursing before changing direction and taking on labouring work with her father.
She said the hands-on and varied nature of plumbing ultimately convinced her to enter the trade.
“Plumbing wasn’t in my plan at all when I left school but when I stopped vet nursing, I decided to do some labouring with dad and I just loved it,” Hagan said.
“I love the idea of having a trade under my belt because it gives you options.”
Women Still Make Up Just 1% of General Plumbers
Women remain heavily underrepresented in plumbing across Australia.
Jobs and Skills Australia data shows women account for just 1 per cent of people employed as General Plumbers, compared with around 49 per cent across all occupations. The occupation employs about 53,400 people nationally.
However, broader apprenticeship figures suggest women are gradually increasing their participation in vocational training.
The NSW Women’s Strategy 2026 Report Card shows women made up more than 38 per cent of people completing apprenticeships and traineeships in NSW in 2025.
Women nevertheless remain far less represented in traditionally male-dominated fields. The same report found women accounted for only 7.9 per cent of completed apprenticeships or traineeships in non-traditional fields such as IT, engineering, agriculture and architecture.
From Veterinary Nursing to the Family Trade
Hagan said following her father and grandfather into plumbing had special significance.
“It’s very special to be following in the footsteps of my dad and pop and not many people can say they’ve done that,” she said.
Her father and employer, Dan Hagan, said she had shown the attitude and willingness to learn required to succeed in the industry.
He said seeing another generation enter the family trade was a source of pride and hoped her experience could encourage other young women to consider plumbing.
Outside work and study, Hagan is also a representative rugby league player with the Newcastle Knights.
Building Skills Through TAFE NSW
Hagan is undertaking her formal training at TAFE NSW Maitland, where she is learning skills beyond those she regularly encounters on the job.
She said training had already exposed her to areas including scaffolding and roofing, helping her become a more versatile apprentice.
TAFE NSW Maitland plumbing head teacher Stephen Bird said more women were beginning to consider plumbing apprenticeships in the region.
He said the trade offered long-term employment opportunities while vocational training provided apprentices with practical, job-ready skills to complement workplace experience.
For Hagan, the apprenticeship means both building her own career and continuing a family tradition stretching across three generations.