Financial constraints forced a teenage Karen Andries-Fable to abandon her secondary school education and opt for learning a trade. But she did not turn to sewing or culinary arts as many girls did; she had been exposed to welding from an early age and knew she wanted to be in what was and still is considered a male-dominated profession.
Thirteen years ago, after having worked in the field for 22 years she began imparting her knowledge as an instructor at the Guyana Industrial Training Centre (GITC). She takes more joy in instructing girls and helping them to stay the course they chose regardless of what the world might want to throw at them.
So committed is Andries-Fable that she was at work on a holiday, as she wanted to see all her students to the end. Their graduation is her ultimate satisfaction. “With the pandemic all of them can’t be here at the same time so I am making the time and the commitment so that they can get their work done,” she said.
Her employment as an instructor at the institute means that she now wears the hats of welfare officer and counsellor as well.
“I am not a qualified counsellor, but I think you would understand when I say counsellor, I look into their welfare…,” she told Stabroek Weekend in an interview before adding that there are times when qualified counsellors are brought in by the institute, which also has a welfare officer, to help students.
Transitioning from the practical aspect of her profession to imparting the theory to others appeared scary initially, but Andries-Fable said she quickly adapted and used her experience to teach.
“I love Ms Fable… She encouraged us, especially the women, and she was my motivation for finishing here because she is a woman and she is working in this field for a very long time,” said Tishanna Williams, a past student of Andries-Fable.
Williams, who now works with the Guyana Water Inc as a machinist/fitter, was one of several past students who attested to the impact Andries-Fable has had on their lives. She said Andries-Fable paved a way for women and always encourages them to go out and do their best. She hopes that they in turn can do likewise.
“I have never ever come across an instructor like Ms Fable. I even put that in my notes when I was doing my assessment. An institution like this and an instructor like her would encourage young people to come and educate themselves because she takes her time to know each and every person and many a time Ms Fable bailed out a lot of us,” said Sonja Nelson, another past student.
She shared that a student could ask Andries-Fable a question ten times and she would take time to answer. That patience, Nelson said, is what sets her apart and makes her more impacting. For her, GTIC is a “second, third and fourth chance” as one is never too old to learn, and she would encourage persons to take up the opportunity with not only the institute but other places that might be offering free courses.
Another student, Shia Edwards, said Andries-Fable would go to lengths to ensure students understood the concepts she taught. While she is looking at joining the Guyana Police Force, Edwards believes the knowledge that she gained at the institute will have a long lasting impact on her life.
Challenging
“My father was an engineer…,” Andries-Fable said of her initial introduction to the world she later took and made hers.
She told Stabroek Weekend that her parents had nine children and it was challenging to send them to school. At one point, she recalled, she remained at home because she had no school clothes. When she returned to the class she quickly realised that it would be better for her go and learn a trade. She applied and was accepted to what was then the Linden Technical Training Centre.
“It was form five or trade school and I was weighing it and I said if my parents didn’t have money to buy school clothes then they wouldn’t have money to pay for CXC and so I decided to venture off into the field of trade. Since then here I am…,” she said while surrounded by the tools of her trade at the GITC Woolford and Albert streets location.
While her career has been a satisfying one, Andries-Fable does not paint a rosy picture as she candidly indicated that there were challenges. Over the years as she worked she was often the only woman in the work environment, but she recalled, “I survived it…”
She worked at the Linden Power Company for many years before moving to Georgetown, where she was employed for a short period as an accounts clerk at Guyana Stores before applying to become a mechanical fitter at the Guyana Power and Light Company. She topped the trade test and practical for the job at the power company, but it took a while before she was hired and then she was told “you have to pull your weight”.
Andries-Fable said during her initial years at the power company she heard remarks that women were not hired because “as soon as they come is a relationship” but she kept her head on and did what was needed.
“I never tell them what I knew until they sent me do a job and they would know how competent I was…,” she said, recalling that after she had completed a particular task, the engineer in charge told her, ‘I never wanted to work with women, but you are a woman with a difference’.
“I maintained my standard and professionalism and yes while there were challenges like men questioning my competency. I kept my head above the water where respect was concerned,” she said of her five years at the power company.
Her exit was due to the area in which she worked becoming redundant and they were all let go after being paid off.
Andries-Fable felt that was the point to call it a day and went on to complete an engineering course at the Government Technical Institute. It was in one of the classes for the course that her lecturer offered her the job at GITC, some 13 years ago.
Instructor
She started as an instructor/facilitator one and today she is at level three and is one of two women in her department. She said she encourages the women she teaches to go out into the working world with a purpose and know what they want.
“I tell them to maintain their standard and those kinds of things…,” she said. “I would say all over the world women go to work they would have challenges, you have to know what you want. Being a woman in this field for this amount of years I know what it takes and if you don’t have your head on you gone…”
Over the years she has seen some women drop out and it makes her heart heavy, but Andries-Fable said as the instructor it is for her to lay out the criteria for them to be successful in the course but ultimately it is left up to the student.
Whenever women graduate, Andries-Fable said, she sees herself in them and hopes that they continue on the path and pave the way for others.
The mother of two said she is a mother of many because her students of both sexes look to her for advice even after they leave the institute.
Andries-Fable frowns on the perception by some that the institute is just for those people who “can’t make it with bookwork”. There are some students who are of that opinion when they first enrol. Williams said she was one of them as she had some challenges and felt she could put away the books and just focus on the trade.
“I was running from the bookwork, but when I come I find out I had to do bookwork in order to finish the course and so I push myself and despite all of my difficulties I still went ahead and finish and come out successful,” she said.
Noting that she loves her job and would not trade it for anything, Williams said the profession chose her because while she was “running from the bookwork” she had to complete it in order to really learn the trade. She took the words of her tutor seriously and they are now helping her as she pointed out that as a woman in a male-dominated profession she needs “that extra strength” to push herself to do her job.
Nelson said she was never attracted to what are traditionally known as women’s trades. She describes herself as a fabricator and recently concluded a metalwork engineering course.
She revealed that while she initially did some training in metalwork she did not immediately pursue a career in the trade but instead worked in fast food restaurant, call centre and even sold insurance but none of those were fulfilling.
“So I went back and did a crash course in welding fabrication…,” she said. At one time she did graphic design, as she revealed that whenever she is not working she would occupy her time by doing a course.
She worked at the Demerara Harbour Bridge for three years and another welding and fabrication company before entering the institute. Nelson is now self-employed as a fabricator and while it has its challenges she is prefers to be “my own boss.
“Being your own boss business wouldn’t be as good at first because you have to be well known and how you get to be well known is by doing good job and that is what I am focusing on now…,” she said.
Williams noted that men are becoming accustomed to women working in fields that were once considered just for men and they are more accepting.
“I would encourage more women to come and learn a trade because a woman’s trade don’t have to always be sewing or cooking,” Williams noted.
Andries-Fable will hang up her gloves in another three years and for her, the song, “I Did it My Way” would be more than apt.
“Be yourself, maintain respect, what you give that is what you will have,” she said. “In jobs like these you really have to be God-fearing so you can walk rightly. I am serious. The challenges with men will keep popping and popping and so you have to maintain that respect.”
