My previous career was in the trades in the mining sector.
I sat in the hiring for apprentices.
We had one young fella who attended, he was perfect. He had tailored all his school subjects to put himself in the best position for an electrical trade, it’s all he wanted to do. His interview was on the mark.
Exactly what we were looking for apart from one thing, he was male.
Instead, HR insisted we hired a female (one applied). She had no real interest but had heard sparkies make good money.
She got the job, lasted 6 months then quit and worked in retail i last heard.
the young fella went onto another mine site and won the state apprentice of the year...twice.
Last I heard he had completed his engineering degree which he studied during his apprenticeship.
So I can tell you right now, big companies do hire based on gendar alone.
It’s nothing new.