The February 5 event ushered in a new public vision of vocational occupations in Mongolia, challenging the widespread perception that females were not fit in such heavy industries as mining and construction. 

According to Tuv Azza LLC Human Resource Manager G.Altantuya, as reported in the UB Post newspaper, heavy industries were interested in hiring females, particularly in the fields of engineering and security. “Women can be very successful once they chose these majors,” she said.

Advisor to the Minister of Labour, Ts. Nyamsuren, also quoted in the UB Post, said the ministry was making changes in relevant policies and laws to enable women to undertake positions in technical fields.

A total of 80 girls took part in the “Girls’ Day” event, where they received information about Mongolia’s vocational education, the specifics of different technical professions and current career opportunities.

They also took part in workshops, using tools and practising their skills under the guidance of teachers in the fields of carpentry, bricklaying, house-painting, electrical engineering and geodesy.

More than 15 Mongolian companies representing the mining, construction, food, hospitality, and trade and commerce sectors provided information on their particular areas of specialisation.  

Thanks to the success of the first “Girls’ Day” – organised in cooperation with the Institute of Engineering Technology, the GIZ Cooperative Vocational Training (CVT) Project will support more vocational schools in organising similar activities throughout 2015, with the aim of making “Girls’ Day” an annual event in Mongolia.

GIZ’s CVT Project is co-financed by German Government, SDC and the Australian government and is aimed at reforming Mongolia’s vocational education sector.

Following in her mother’s footsteps, she is studying to become a bricklayer and concreter and is already making her mark nationally and internationally.
 
Enkhchimeg is the first Mongolian woman to take part in the bricklaying component of the international skills competition WordSkills, this year held in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

She secured her place in the event after taking out first place in the 2015 MongolianSkills competition. It was the third time she had participated in the national event; in 2013, she came in third place, and the following year she came in second.

“My mother is a bricklayer,” Enkhchimeg said. “So I’ve been very familiar with this profession since I was little. Personally I’m fascinated with how houses are built from the ground up. I have a dream to manage my own construction company in the future.”

It isn’t just skill that’s taking Enkhchimeg to the top of her profession. According to her teacher at the Ulaanbaatar Polytechnic College, the key to her success is “her ambition and endurance”.