|
Diageo
continue to break down gender barriers
in the Scotch whisky industry with the
recruitment of two female coopering
apprentices.
Diageo are known to lead the way in
breaking down the gender barriers and
blazing a pioneering trail in the once
male dominated whisky trade and
yesterday the company and the industry
celebrated a new first with the
recruitment of two female coopering
apprentices.
Even though the ancient craft of
creating oak casks (coopering) has been
part of Scotch whisky production for
centuries it wasn't until now that the
industry has recognised women as being
equally capable of training in the trade
as a cooper
With the recruitment of first-year
coopering apprentices Angela Cochrane
and Kirsty Olychick at its Cambus
Cooperage in Clackmannanshire leading
Scotch maker Diageo are breaking down
the gender barriers and blazing a
pioneering trail in the once male
dominated trade.
The news marked the start of Scottish
Apprenticeship Week, with Diageo
celebrating having women employed in
every part of its business in Scotland,
from senior management roles, to
distillery managers, master blenders,
electrical and mechanical engineers, and
in the traditional crafts of coppersmith
and coopering. Last year Diageo
celebrated another diversity
break-through in a traditional whisky
craft when Rebecca Weir became the first
female apprentice at the company’s
Abercrombie Coppersmiths.
Angela and Kirsty are part of team of 16
coopering apprentices in the Coopering
School at Diageo Cambus, learning the
tried and tested skills that have been
used for centuries to make the oak casks
for the maturation of Scotch whisky. The
physically demanding four-year
apprenticeship, which integrates theory
with hands on experience, will allow the
apprentices to master the traditional
hand-craft skills of the cooper.
Former psychiatric nurse, Angela
Cochrane, 31, gained the coveted spot on
the Cambus Cooperage apprenticeship
programme after noticing the advert on
Facebook. She said: "I researched a bit
about the trade online and thought it
sounded like a really interesting career
option, so I knew I had to go for it.
It’s a lot more complex than I thought
it would be and I’m knackered when I get
in at night but everything from handling
the barrels to swinging the hammer is
already starting to feel a lot more
natural.
"I’ve never been put off by gender
stereotypes. I don’t think that should
stop anyone from doing what they want to
do. And knowing you’re contributing to
the growing whisky industry is an
amazing feeling."
Kirsty Olychick, 38, left her home in
Canada to pursue a career in the Scotch
whisky industry.
She said: "I’ve always been inspired by
the Scotch industry, so it is something
I’ve always wanted to be involved in but
living in Canada I hadn’t ever been
exposed to the coopering craft. Having
family members who’d previously
completed trade apprenticeships helped
give me the confidence to go for it. My
dad always told me that if I had an
opportunity to get into a trade I should
jump on it.
"I like the fact that you learn the
skill by hand – you get the satisfaction
of seeing the job done rather than
reading about it in a book.
"Coming into a male-dominated workplace
didn’t put me off at all, in fact I
found it really empowering to be one of
the first women to take up the craft and
make my mark in history. It’s such an
exciting prospect to think that I’ll be
contributing to the next generation of
Scotch. You shouldn’t let anything hold
you back."
Having started in the industry as an
apprentice himself, and spending the
next 30 years mastering the craft,
coopering tutor John Carberry is helping
to foster the next generation of talent.
He said: "It’s been brilliant for
everyone here to welcome Angela and
Kirsty to the Cambus Cooperage team.
They’ve made a great start to their
coopering apprenticeships and it’s a
pleasure to help tutor them.
"There is incredible precision involved
in the cooper’s craft. Our apprentices
need to master a blend of strength,
skill and patience, learning how to hand
repair casks with no glue or nails, as
well as calculate different oak depths,
ratios and specific measurements.
"The craft of making and rejuvenating
the casks is something that has to be
cultivated and refined so it’s great to
see our apprentices are so passionate
about the craft. The traditional
coopering skills take 10 years to master
but once mastered, it’s a rewarding
career which will last a lifetime.
"While a lot has changed since Cambus
opened its doors, the core skills have
stayed the same. You can’t learn this
out of a book so you can see how
important it is for us to nurture the
next generation."
Diageo has invested significantly in its
coopering operations in Scotland in
recent years, opening the £10 million
state-of-the art Cambus Cooperage in
2011.
Drawing on generations of skill and
knowledge, and combining it with the
state-of-the-art engineering, the
cooperage is now able to process more
whisky casks than ever before, producing
over 400,000 casks each year to be used
to mature spirit from Diageo's portfolio
of single grain and single malt
distilleries.
|
