Having started early in a male-dominated field, Juana Bleker is now active in leadership and volunteer work, demonstrating how women take on responsibility – and how important networking is. (Photo: © Teamfoto Marquardt)
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women in crafts - Theme specials
April 2026
After graduating from high school in the early 1990s, Juana Bleker applied for an apprenticeship in the sanitary, heating and air conditioning wholesale trade. "I was the first girl in the branch," she recalls.
A sentence that speaks volumes about the era – and about the beginning of a career that continues to shape her today. Daily contact with tradespeople, site visits, and direct interaction were part of her routine from the start. Unusual for some, but quickly second nature to most. She learned the language of the trades, worked in every department, and discovered her aptitude for numbers and organization. She shortened her apprenticeship and subsequently earned a degree in Business Administration from the Academy of Administration and Economics. The trades became more than just a professional environment – they became part of her everyday life and her identity.
After the birth of her child, she faced a decision many women know: career or family? Her answer was a path she chose herself. She became self-employed, initially offering office services to tradespeople. In 2010, she took the next step: together with her husband, Theo Bleker, she took over a business, which in 2015 became Bleker Haustechnik GmbH in Bocholt. Today, she is a shareholder and he is the managing director. The responsibilities are clearly divided – she is responsible for finance, human resources, and the entire commercial side of the business. They make decisions together. "We're a good combination," she says. A dual leadership that demonstrates what modern entrepreneurship in the trades can look like.
What drives her is responsibility: for the company, the employees, the future. For her, successful management means openness, honesty, and appreciation. It means communication on equal footing, a culture that embraces mistakes, and the awareness that people need to be brought along. She understands leadership as an attitude. She clearly sees that women in leadership roles in the skilled trades are more visible today than they were years ago. Nevertheless, there are situations where old patterns persist—for example, in dealings with banks, when questions are still more often directed to men. "It's getting better," she says, "but it hasn't completely disappeared." Precisely for this reason, she considers it important that women are present, take on responsibility, and contribute—both within the company and on committees.
Since 2007, she has been involved with the Association of Women Entrepreneurs in Crafts (UFH). A lecture on tax law was her entry point, but she has remained involved out of conviction. For her, volunteering means exchange, mutual support, and collaborative shaping of the future. "Together we can achieve more," she says. The network offers women from all trades a space to demonstrate their expertise, share knowledge, and develop self-confidence. One issue particularly close to her heart affects many female entrepreneurs: the lack of statutory maternity leave for the self-employed. Pregnancy should not be a business risk, she emphasizes. Currently, women are dependent on voluntary supplementary arrangements – a situation she wants to change.
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The Chambers of Crafts in Germany - Koblenz Chamber of Crafts
The Chambers of Crafts in Germany - Chamber of Crafts Münster
Her commitment extends to the state level. As Chairwoman of the UFH NRW (since 2021), Bleker works to further develop structures, advance projects, and make the skilled trades sector as a whole future-proof – also in exchange with ministries and trade organizations. She knows that the issues facing businesses are similar, whether in Münsterland or the Ruhr region. This makes it all the more important to pool experiences and develop solutions together.
She is also actively involved as a member of the Chamber of Skilled Crafts' general assembly. For her, participation means not just criticizing, but taking responsibility. Apprenticeships, master craftsman qualifications, securing skilled workers, digitalization, and sound finances – these are all issues that directly affect her. She describes the collaboration within the committee as respectful and professional, on equal footing. There are synergies.
Her vision for the future is clear: she wants to see more women in skilled trades, better conditions for balancing family, work, and volunteer activities – and legally enshrined maternity leave for the self-employed. Above all, she wants young women to have more confidence in themselves. "Every profession is open to women," she says. They should do what they are passionate about and what they are strong in – and not let themselves be held back by outdated gender roles.
Her own greatest success? Perseverance. And the decision to take the step into self-employment. What she wants to pass on to the next generation of female craftspeople, she sums up in a simple appeal: follow your own path, get involved, network, continue your education – and be proud to be a craftswoman.
Background: UFHBackground The Women Entrepreneurs in Crafts (UFH) are a vibrant network of committed women from the regional crafts sector: business owners, partners, family members, and managers. Women entrepreneurs have long played a vital role in the crafts sector – as contributors, organizers, and leaders within businesses and in practical operations. The Women Entrepreneurs in Crafts (UFH) are a strong community that provides targeted support and networking for women in the regional crafts sector. For over four decades, they have been bringing together women from all trades to share knowledge, strengthen skills, and jointly address future challenges.
UFH NRW The regional working groups are organized under the state umbrella organization UFH NRW. There are approximately 18 such working groups in North Rhine-Westphalia, in which women from the skilled trades are actively involved. They form the local network and serve as a central point of contact for exchange, professional development, and networking. The working groups regularly organize meetings, workshops, expert presentations, and seminars on topics relevant to women entrepreneurs. The goal is to impart knowledge, strengthen personal and business skills, and share experiences – so that the challenges of balancing business, family, and personal development can be better managed. Furthermore, the working groups collaborate closely with trade organizations and political stakeholders and represent the interests of women entrepreneurs in the public sphere.
working groups Five working groups are active in the Münster Chamber district: Münster/Münsterland, Steinfurt, Warendorf, Bottrop, and Borken. They bring together women in the skilled trades – both locally and regionally. "With their commitment, these women entrepreneurs contribute to making the skilled trades visible as a diverse, future-oriented, and inclusive economic region," emphasizes Juana Bleker from Borken, Chairwoman of the UFH NRW (Association of Women Entrepreneurs in North Rhine-Westphalia).
Online Click here to go to the UFH NRW website.
Contact Borken Working Group Juana Bleker, email: juana.bleker@gmx.de; Bottrop Working Group Astrid Drost, Tel. 0173 8689338, Email: as.drost@googlemail.com; Working Group Münster/Münsterland Gabriele Gehring-Evels, Tel. 0251 32263119, Email: gehring-evels@evels.de; Steinfurt Working Group, Steinfurt-Warendorf District Craftsmen's Association Tanja Feistmann, Tel. 05971 40031210, Email: ufh-st@kh-st-waf.de; Warendorf Working Group, Steinfurt-Warendorf District Craftsmen's Association Kira Pepinghege, Tel. 05971 40031420, Email: ufh-waf@kh-st-waf.de.
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