Girl power Women take on a high wire act

A groundbreaking line school is expanding the workforce and challenging attitudesin amale-dominated field

- Soraya Kishtwari

Marianela Hernández Valencia knows what life off-grid is like. "As a child, Igrew up in a house without electricity, which meant having to do homework by candlelight," she said. "It was difficult." The 28-year-old is among 15 women hoping to graduate as one of Colombia's first intake of apprentice line women, in La Ceja, a small town about 40km south-east of Medellín, the country's second-largest city.

Line workers scale towers and transmission lines high above the ground to install and repair power cables. They are often the first responders after a storm or natural disaster and are regularly away from home for long periods.

Graduates of the year-long pilot project, led by ISA, Latin America's largest energy transmission company, with the training group Tener Futuro Corporation, are guaranteed a job with one of two contractors, Instelec and Salomón Durán. Students are taught about safety, rigging and knot tying, all in a hands-on environment.

As more companies seek to diversify the workplace, it might seem there has never been a better time for women to enter the trade. Yet, few women had previously considered applying.