Best advice for female operators? Fortune favours the brave

Jocelyn Doherty -
Forklift Diaries
- 24 Aug 2023 ( #1142 )
4 min read
To Jocelyn, encouraging more women into male-dominated industries is the most important impact that her Queensland training business can make
To Jocelyn, encouraging more women into male-dominated industries is the most important impact that her Queensland training business can make

For Jocelyn Doherty, being a female director of a company that delivers training to male-dominated industries has had its challenges. But the payoff has been more than worth it. She talks about her journey with FMS Training and passion for championing more women into the industry.


I graduated university as an early childhood teacher but quickly realised this sector was not for me. While I have a passion for education, I was also curious about business, watching my dad grow his forklift sales, service and hire company. 

It was my dad who planted the seed to start my own RTO (registered training organisation) in 2007 and focus on forklift training and licensing. FMS grew well in the initial years, and I quickly saw an opportunity to expand into online training (under another brand). 

"I know how daunting it can be initially. But it’s like anything new ... And the outcome, and how you feel after you have achieved getting the licence to operate, will give you a whole new feeling of empowerment."

Jocelyn Doherty, FMS Training

After receiving government funding, I was able to successfully exit this business in 2015, leaving FMS Training for my dad to manage during his retirement. He ran it and really enjoyed the teaching side. However, at the end of 2019 he was diagnosed with stage four brain cancer and given six months to live. He lasted 18 months, passing away in 2021. It was then that I took back the keys to business and I now feel more committed than ever to grow and expand this legacy.

"It's like anything new, and once you know, you know!"
"It's like anything new, and once you know, you know!"

Being a female director of a company delivering training to male-dominated industries has its challenges. The construction, mining and logistics sectors are some of the heaviest male-dominated sectors in Australia. Also running an RTO specialising in high-risk driver training means you are dealing with many levels of government and a bucketload of compliance. Rules and regulations are always changing, and while this may seem second nature to us, educating the public on the regulations can be difficult. There can be a lot of kickback with regards to the processes required to meet these requirements, set by the regulators. 

But at the end of the day, it’s so rewarding to see our students graduate, as many come with exam anxiety having not sat an exam in years. For a lot of people, graduating is a gateway to employment or a career change. It’s wonderful to see the sense of achievement on their faces when they complete their courses and the positive reviews we receive as feedback.

I think encouraging more women into male-dominated industries is the most important impact we could possibly make, in general. That’s why FMS Training very actively promotes the benefits to the industry of encouraging more women to become forklift operators. 

More often than not, the women who come to us aren’t actually considering a job as a forklift operator. They are usually in warehousing or dispatch or logistics. Some even own small businesses like a winery or perhaps run the office and need to unload a truck every now and then.

A happy group of trainees' have finally completed their assessment.
A happy group of trainees' have finally completed their assessment.

I know how daunting it can be initially. But it’s like anything new, and once you know, you know! It’s like driving a car. And the outcome, and how you feel after you have achieved getting the licence to operate, will give you a whole new feeling of empowerment.

One customer comes to mind: a 75-year-old woman, who only considered getting a forklift licence because of the number of jobs that were advertised with “must have a valid forklift licence”. She was worried that she was too old but she said she had always wanted to be able to drive a forklift. 

“Life is too short to stay stagnant,” she told me. She took the course, studied, passed the exams and was employed in a matter of days! 

I was lucky enough to have a dad that encouraged me to enter this industry. I didn’t know a thing about forklifts. Being a young female at the time, I really felt visible and out of place, so I can understand the hesitation some women may feel when they enter this industry. But I believe the rewards are well worth it.

Work in materials handling? The Forklift Diaries would love to hear your story!

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