Young women get start in shed handing with Crackers Contracting in Quindanning, Darkan.

In fact they have made it their business contracting workers for farms around the Williams, Boddington and Darkan area.

Last year, Crackers Contracting was having a hard time finding workers, when Ms Buscumb had an idea.

"I thought, why don't we go back to the old days of getting farmer's kids and country kids, and training them up, so we bring them into the system?" Ms Buscumb said.

Darkan girls, Bella Goss and sisters Darcy and Matilda King, took up the offer.

Bella, 15, studies at Santa Maria College in Perth.

Darcy, 16 and Matilda, 15, board at the WA College of Agriculture, Denmark, studying for a Certificate III and Certificate II in agriculture, respectively.

The girls have grown up on their families' farms, surrounded by sheep, with the King sisters always knowing they wanted a career in agriculture, specifically with sheep.

In the January holidays of last year, Darcy sought to earn some money and gain some work experience during the school break.

Matilda said when she saw how much her sister was earning, she wanted to join in too, and started working as a shed hand last December, paired with Bella who started at the same time.

"Darcy said it was fun, it was better than sitting around at home all day, having a job to do," Matilda said.

Starting out in a shearing shed could be a daunting task for teenage girls, in a fast-paced environment where a strong work ethic and confidence is paramount.

But the sisters took it all in their stride, pairing up for one day to get the feel of things before splitting up.

Trainers from Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) gave the girls a professional starting point.

"It's just worked well, now AWI are using that model that we practiced with here, to train people going forward," Ms Buscumb said.

The typical duties of a shed hand involves sweeping, picking up fleeces, skirting them and general raw wool preparation.

Shed handing is a type of work some people may not find particularly favourable, but for Darcy, the people involved made it fun and enjoyable.

"I love meeting all these new people and you see them outside of work and they'll say hi to you," Darcy said.

Matilda said when she was doing her job and having a laugh with the shearers, along with having the music going, "it's really good".

Bella was equally impressed.

"It's a fun job for me, you're active and running around a lot, the money is also good as well," Bella said.

Ms Buscumb said the camaraderie between the team brought a lot of enjoyment to the job, and helped them build confidence in their work, and themselves.

"I think getting to know so many people from different walks of life has been great, and lifted their maturity as well," Ms Buscumb said.

"They're getting in there and working with adults but they've been well supported by the workers.

"I think for them to see that and go "gee, we're accepted," it's a bit of a boost in itself for them.

"Interaction with adults at that age just changes their mindset and boosts their confidence."

Darcy said she was nervous to start, but has felt herself improving the longer she worked.

"You learn a lot from the other shed hands and the shearers, you get better as you do it for longer," she said.

"It was very nerve-wracking, but now you go in there and it's fine.

"Once you know all the people you're working with, you become a lot less scared."

Matilda had the comfort of her sister nearby when she started.

"The first time I went to a shed by myself I was so scared, it was a really hard shed as well," Matilda said.

She said that day was a turning point and she grew up quickly.

"You know how to use your nerves now," Matilda said.

"You're kind of all on the same level, it's pretty equal to how everyone is treated."

Bella loves working around the sheep and despite no wool handling experience, she overcame her nerves.

"I didn't expect how hot it was gonna be, it's like 30 degrees outside and even hotter in the shed," Bella said.

"It also takes so much out of you, you're really tired at the end of the day.

"Now I've gotten faster and more efficient."

Ms Buscumb said she had previously copped some criticism for allowing young girls to work in the sheds.

"I've come up against farmers saying that a shearing shed is not a place for a girl to work," Ms Buscumb said.

"A lot of people go 'oh, who wants to work in the shearing shed?' and yet here we've got young girls going 'this is great' and just really enjoying it."

The girls noted that the gender dynamics within the industry appeared to be changing.

Darcy and Bella said a lot more women were involved in wool classing and shed hand roles.

"I think it's good to have women in the industry because it evens it out, it's a lot different now than it used to be," Matilda said.

Once the sisters finish school and complete their certificates, they confirmed they would like to stay in the industry.

Darcy said she was interested in travelling and seeing other places, and liked the flexibility that shed hand work offered.

Matilda and Bella said they liked shed handing and wanted to keep doing it locally.

"I might keep doing it for a couple of years after school and see where it takes me," Bella said.

"Having the wool handling cert at school is really good, I can do that when I'm older," Matilda said.

"I quite like it here, we've got good friends here because we've been here for so long, all of our family is here."

The sisters said the work experience was helpful for their shearing classes at school, but have learned more on the job than in the classroom.

"Everyone teaches you differently so you still learn stuff," Darcy said.

Ms Buscumb has prepared the girls for competitions, teaching them the ins and outs of competition shearing to improve their skills.

The girls said they started off "small", entering the Darkan Sheepfest, and will compete in the circuit of shearing competitions which starts in September.

"It was a bit of an icebreaker," Darcy said.

Matilda said they were lucky to have Sarah and they had a practice run beforehand.

They said the most "stressful" part of the competitions was being watched by so many people.

"It's the thought of messing up while they're there," Matilda said.

Darcy said she blocked everything out once she started.

Ms Buscumb said she would always make sure work was available for the girls during the school holidays, which was helped by the holidays lining up with shearing time for many farmers in the area.

She recommends other farmers encourage young people onto their farms to gain experience in a practical setting.

"They really liked it, they've had a great experience, and they've just gotten better and better, and every school holidays they're on the phone asking if there's any work," Ms Buscumb said.

"Obviously they may just use it as a pathway, but if we keep getting enough young ones doing it, then we can keep filling the gaps.

"It opens more doors for them."

The head of boarding at Bella's school saw her compete at Wagin Woolorama, and asked her to speak in front of the whole school at a boarders' week assembly.

"She saw me compete and she loved it," Bella said.

"I was really nervous because it's quite a big school and there's lots of staff and students, but it was okay in the end."

Outside of agriculture, the King sisters spend their weekends in Denmark playing netball, catching up with friends and for Matilda, spending time caring for and riding her horse.