Hanène Ammar, Dorsaf Ben Nacer, Chiraz Melki and Rana Radhouani are preparing to become the first linewomen (who climb high-voltage power lines) in Tunisia's history.
Out of the twelve women who applied for the lineman competition launched by the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company (STEG) in 2019, six were shortlisted and only four were selected after practical tests at high altitude.
They are determined to go through an arduous training course to earn their status.
For these young women, almost all in their thirties, it is not a question of women's emancipation in a country often cited as a pioneer in women's rights in the Arab world, but rather of integration into professions that for centuries have been the exclusive preserve of men.
In Tunisia, for the past 60 years, being a man has been one of the conditions of access to the competitions for technical linemen at STEG.
"The criteria have changed and access to this competition is now guaranteed to all, women and men," Director of the STEG Training and Advanced Training Centre (CFPK) in Khelidia (southern suburb of Tunis) Ali Chawali told TAP.
The first future Tunisian linemen are currently being hosted and trained in this centre.
In total, STEG has 250 to 300 electric linemen in training, who will be assigned at a rate of 5 to 6 workers per district.
The future technicians are now undergoing 10 months of theoretical and practical training to acquire the basic and complex skills needed to operate at low voltage (400 kv)," explained Chawali. For interventions on high voltage lines (1kv to 50kv), it takes another 4 to 5 years.
"This opens the door to women to access a delicate and technical field and we are all proud of this change in STEG," he concluded.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse