Anyway, I said yes, I have to try after all

It's official! With the handing over of the black uniform, our Giada Finotto has become the first woman machine toolmaker.

To talk about our project for equal career opportunities, we thought we would let her tell you directly about her story and her journey in an interview that we have transcribed:

Hello Giada and welcome! Can you introduce yourself? What do you like to do in your free time?

Thank you very much, hello everyone! I am Giada, I am 21 years old and I live in Eraclea. I think of myself as a very sunny and determined person and my greatest passions are photography and travelling.

Photography as a hobby?

Yes, because I studied photography at school and then unfortunately I couldn't find any related work nearby. I usually go out with my camera, I have a Canon but I also take pictures with my phone. I always go to the sea, to the beach in Caorle.

What about travel, where have you been going recently?

I have just been to New York for my August holiday, and.... beautiful! It was a dream, just like in the movies! Time Square, the buildings... I loved it.

And have you been to any other places lately?

I have been to London, Paris, Amsterdam and Barcelona. I always went there after the summer season.

Next stop?

I don't know [ laughing ]. Maybe Los Angeles, but I don't know.

Talking about work on the other hand, how did you get to Polo Plast?

I arrived at Polo Plast more than a year and a half ago through an agency and I immediately got on very well with both colleagues and owners, with everyone.

Were you looking for the season at the time?

No, I was looking for something stable.

And how was it initially? It started as an operator and you had never done similar work before.

No it was fine, of course I was a bit nervous at the beginning but things got better and better.

What were your expectations?

I had started with an agency, I worked 5 or 6 months... I didn't think they would recruit me on a contract for a permanent position, I was very happy when Alice [HR manager] told me about it. I expected to find a quiet, serene, stimulating place... and so it was!

And with people did you immediately settle in?

Absolutely... with some we had a good relationship straight away, with others it took a little longer but I got on well with everybody.

It is noticeable!

Yes and then I am very quiet.

What do you like most about your job?

So.... My favourite part is still learning new things each time and.... and also the relationship I have with my colleagues because we all get along well, there is always a good teamwork and we always help each other a lot.

How did the switch from operator to toolmaker come about?

It came about through a joke [laughs] by Stefania [production coordinator], who said to me while I was setting up a machine: ‘Aaah but I could see you as a toolmaker! ’ And I laughed, because I wouldn't have thought of it, but I wouldn't have even seen myself! And then they actually started talking to me about it, they proposed it to me and I thought about it.… even though maybe I was a bit scared at first because I had never studied mechanics and it would have been like starting from the beginning. But I said yes, I must try it at last. And I started the training in July and Lucas [toolmaker tutor] is still working with me and it's going very well... obviously I'm not independent yet, of course, so I'll take my time.

You told me you were a bit caught off guard by this joke.

Yes because I never imagined myself at last.... [reflects]. I'd always want to get on with it, I'd be annoyed maybe to bother the toolmakers for maybe a small thing. Then I used to call them, see how they did it and try to do if the machine then had a problem... and sometimes I was wrong, then slowly I succeeded.

Does mechanics always intrigue you, interest you, or did you discover it here?

No I discovered it here, it was really a new world, I never studied it, and .... I never fell into it let's say.

What would you like to do in the future? Would you like to continue, grow, change...?

Yes, I would like to continue, also because the training is going very well... I hope it gets better and better.

Now that you are seeing that we are planning with other girls to do similar projects, how are you living this?

In my opinion... very well! I mean, it's not that if mechanics is a ‘male’ job, we as women are not able to... We've always been brought up with the mentality that mechanics is a man's job, so i think it's a very good thing, it's a good project in my view, and it also creates a good working atmosphere.

And how did the other toolmakers feel about your passage?

I found it well, they all congratulated with me... even when they saw me in a different colour uniform [laughs]. They were happy, even Lucas who is training me sees the improvements.

And the colleagues?

Also, they were happy, they complimented me, they said ‘now you are my favourite toolmaker!’ [laughs].

What would you say to girls who are afraid of joining typically male-employed fields?

Well... I would say not to be afraid of the judgement of others and... to throw yourself into it even if you are not 100 per cent convinced and even if something goes wrong, not to beat yourself up and to always believe in your own potential and abilities.

Thank you Giada for your time and your testimony!

Thank you too.