'What would you know?': Young female wool classer shows how it's done

The Dubbo resident said she had been "second guessed" by male colleagues in the past but she liked showing them what she could do.

"I'm constantly proving myself, [but] I love the challenge," Ms Harvey said.

"Because I started so young, you sort of get looked at a bit funny when you say something and they're like, well, what would you know?

"You just sort of take it as it comes. You don't take offence to it, you learn to cope with it and you just try and show them that you know what you're doing rather than have to tell them."

Ms Harvey has been a wool classer for a year and a wool handler for three years before that. She grew up on a sheep farm, so she's been around the traps, and has worked in or been an observer in a lot of sheds in her time.

She likes the job for its flexibility and adventure.

"I get to see Australia - I travel a lot. I get to meet a lot of new people," she said.

"I can go anywhere around Australia with my stencil. I can make good money. It's a good environment to be in, and I keep active every day. We're always doing something, always in a new place, meeting new people."

Wool classing was a natural fit for Ms Harvey given her background around wool.

Growing up on a farm taught her a lot of things she needed to know about the industry.

"I got to do a lot of things that a lot of people haven't experienced in their life and I got to learn a lot early. I love the farm, I don't go much in town life. I love being in the bush," she said.

Ms Harvey is a fifth generation farmer, and went to a shearing school when she was 15. She then began rousing and decided to obtain her wool classing ticket.

She was one of the first students to obtain their Certificate IV in Wool Classing at TAFE NSW, fee free.

A wool classer grades wool to a code of practice and helps wool buyers find wool that suits their needs. They also help make sure the shed's running smoothly.

There are reportedly more women than men studying wool classing at TAFE NSW Dubbo, Narromine Road Campus, with demand surging in the sector.

Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX) registrar Fiona Raleigh welcomed the renewed interest, saying there was growing pressure on wool harvesting staff numbers across the state.

"It's great news that TAFE NSW is helping train the next generation of workers because there's been a lot of pressure on the industry to find enough registered wool classers," Ms Raleigh said.