Tia Lavender is a steel fixer and dogman for Southern Precast in Dandenong South. The company specialises in manufacturing and erecting concrete precast walls, also known as “panels.”

Tia found it difficult to engage with traditional classroom learning before she found her place in the precast industry. Her early days in the industry gave her a whole new way to gain knowledge. “Instead of the classroom, I was learning on the factory floor,” Tia says. “I went into this industry with an open mind and was taught in an applied manner which better suited my style of learning.”

As a steel fixer, Tia is an integral part of the panel building process, which involves recast panels being built and poured on large steel tables. Reinforcement steel, lifting points, joining plates and/or ferrules are tied together using tie wire. This is only a part of the full build. The full process requires mathematical precision - Tia was taught on the job and continues to execute the time-consuming tasks the role requires three years later.

Tia’s next step up in the industry expanded her role to include dogman responsibilities. To achieve this, she had to complete a 5-day course covering cranes and safety, mathematical calculations and directing a crane using three forms of communication.

Tia found her purpose in the precast industry and is passionate about supporting other females to join an industry with a small female proportion of workers. She’s also a big advocate for choosing a path outside the standard education system. “It’s important to recognise that there are many alternative routes into fulfilling and skilled professions that don’t follow the standard model,” she says.

“Ultimately, your career path should reflect your passions, strengths, and personal goals—not just the options presented by the education system,” she adds. “Pursue what truly interests you and aligns with your abilities, even if it falls outside the traditional framework. Finding what you enjoy isn’t necessarily going to be the first trade you try.”