YOUNG women are striking out into the male-dominated building trade.

Traditional nurse, secretary and teacher roles were ignored at the Greenwich Direct Services careers roadshow staged in the three girls' schools in the borough.

It was organised to encourage greater awareness of engineering and related building trades at girls' schools and marks International Women's Week.

At the convention organised by GDS building services, the girls at St Ursula's, Plumstead Manor and Eltham Hill discussed careers as electricians, plumbers, painters and decorators.

The GDS team spoke about their work in male-dominated trades and the reaction of their male colleagues.

The team comprised exterior works supervisor Jacqui Bell, Toni Guest, a second year electrical apprentice and Louise Blaney, a first year apprentice plumber.

Building services manager Peter Robinson, responsible for recruiting women, spoke about the changes during his working life when women were not even seen in building company offices.

They were joined by Claire Hedderman of Greenwich Local Labour In Construction, who spoke to the girls about opportunities in construction, especially in the build up to the millennium celebrations.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000.Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.