For 18-year-old Remonia Leach, fixing steel and watching a new building being constructed is what she finds most exhilarating.

Carpentry trainees Ann Dacosta (left) and Nicole Anderson smooth down these stools to give them a more refined look.

The older woman lives in St Andrew while the younger lives in Clarendon.

The older woman has spent most of her life in one profession, while the younger is yet to see her first job. The difference between the two is wide and varied.

But differences aside, both have found themselves at the same place, at the same time, doing the same thing. And that is to pursue their dreams and prove that women have their place in a man's world.

Campbell-Richards says she likes seeing nice furniture.

Both are students at the Portmore HEART Academy in St Catherine, where they are getting qualified for jobs in the construction field. Leach is being trained in steel fixing while Campbell-Richards is being trained to make furniture.

"I just like the general idea of just building stuff, especially buildings. I just like to think that something started from little and turns into something big and beautiful. I just love the phase that it goes through," Leach says.

The teenager enrolled at the school four months ago to be trained to become a contractor, something she says she has always wanted to be since a mere babe.

Welding trainee Marien Francis grinds the sharp edges of a table that has just been welded together.

The Vere Technical graduate who had done Engineering Studies while in high school, says that when she and her other two female classmates started the programme, it created quite a stir. This was because there were 20 other students - males - learning to do steel fixing. But the self-professed tomboy says she was able to fit in with the group to the point where her teachers are now hailing her as one of the best steel fixers they have seen.

The teenager takes all these praises in stride, focusing instead on her goal of one day opening her own construction company.

But while Leach is focused on getting her career off the ground, Campbell-Richards is the nurturing figure in her classes. Affectionately called Ms Andrea by her male classmates, Campbell-Richards says that many of the boys confide in and seek advice from her. With the exception of one man, all the males in her class are between 17-19 years old.

"In coming here it also helps me to make young people know that they can make something worthy of their life," she says.

Spending time to nurture young minds has never been a problem for Campbell-Richards - she taught mentally challenged children at the Hope Valley Experimental School. She also spent 30 years at the Whitfield All-Age School in St Andrew as a teacher. In fact, when she enrolled at HEART and found out that one of her students from that school was to be her classmate.

Campbell-Richards, who has a house on the north coast with a wide variety of mahoe, mahogany, cedar and lignum vitae trees, says that being trained at HEART has given her "a clearer insight of what can be made from trees".

Although her two children - who are older than most of her classmates - did not see the need for her being enrolled, they have since become pleased with her decision. She says that although she spent most of her life as a teacher, there were many things she did not understand and HEART has helped to enlighten her further.

But Campbell-Richards and Leach aren't alone. There are currently 16 females pursuing their qualifications in most of the skill areas being offered in construction.

Communication director at the institution, Karen Taylor, says that not only have they witnessed an increase in the number of girls enrolling over the years, but they have seen a change in the type of girls who are coming to the institution.

"There is a new face to the type of women we are having now, these are young women. One time it was not cool to be a young woman and enter into construction, but as you can see these are young, intelligent women who are from good social backgrounds. Some of them are using this as a stepping stone to go on to Utech," she says.

She says the girls are very self-assured and are not granted any special favours by the males, most of whom view them as their equals.

Students who pursue construction certification programmes at HEART are able to specialise in a number of areas. These include concreting, carpentry, furniture manufacturing, tile laying, plumbing, steel fixing, welding, electrical maintenance as well as property loss adjusting for those who want to go into the insurance field.

Leroy Lindsay, who heads the Building Construction Department, says that the demand for qualified construction workers is very high and so their students have no problem finding jobs after leaving.

"A lot of contractors want females because they pay attention to details," he says.

He says that most of the women they are seeing have pursued building construction at technical schools and have decided to upgrade their qualifications in the field by coming to HEART.