THE old cliches about gas fitters being middle-aged men who take three sugars in their tea and shake their heads in a patronising manner before hitting you with a quote are about to come to an end.

This week a new batch of recruits are set to leave Scottish Gas' training school in Uddingston, Lanarkshire and, for the first time, the girls outnumber the boys.

Of this year's graduates seven of the 12 are women and this week they will swap the classroom for the closets of homes across the region as they receive the keys to their blue vans and begin life as servicing engineers.

And if you think it is a life of little vans and bottles of Irn-Bru on the dashboard, think again. Gas fitters and servicing engineers might wear blue overalls but the money isn't blue collar.

These days there is the potential to make more than £40,000 and arriving at a job without your tie on is a disciplinary issue.

But the job is also about more than just fixing boilers. As well as having to know everything about gas and electricity, and knowing how to get things working again when things go wrong, people skills are just as important.

This batch of graduates needs to identify at-risk clients such as families with young children and the elderly.

After a year of training, all have anecdotes aplenty.

"We've already been out with engineers to get experience dealing with customers," says Kimberley Dougans-Haining.

"But the shock on people's faces when we turn up. I spoke to one woman on the telephone and when I turned up she was stunned. She thought I was the secretary or a girl from the call centre - not the engineer".

As part of their training, each has had to sit the Duke of Edinburgh award - which has meant camping and days away.

And one graduate even found love while doing her training!

Let's meet the seven women who are about to prove a gas man's world is fit for a lady, too. ANGELA DIXON, 37, Castlemilk ANGELA is the oldest recruit this year. The mum-of-one quit her job as a florist to take part.

"I suppose it was a bit late in the day to make such a career change, but so far it has been worth it. The training has been great and my son has been really supportive."

As well her new career, the job has also led to Angela, above, meeting her new man, Brian, another engineer.

"We've been dating for about four months," she blushes. LOUISE McILGROM, 26, Easterhouse LOUISE made the jump from working in the offices of Scottish Gas before attending a ladies' day event and making the jump to a more hands-on role.

She says: "I'd always had an interest in the job and the ladies' day event was great - it gave me a chance to see what it would be like.

"My dad is a tiler so it is quite good to be doing a hands-on job too." KIMBERLEY DOUGANS-HAINING, 20, East Kilbride KIMBERLEY was one of the first people to enrol on the course, first joining in 2006 when men outnumbered women by five to one.

Now she has convinced her boyfriend Ian to become an apprentice.

"I should have graduated a year ago but became ill," she says.

"It's magic. Going camping with the Duke of Edinburgh award was a great laugh. It was a great way of getting to know everyone.

"We all had to sit an advanced driving course to prove that we can park our vans so that's worrying my boyfriend Ian - he'll need to get his licence first!" JULIE McHUGH, 32, Whiteinch ENGINEERING runs in Julie's family as her cousin is also a female engineer with Scottish Gas.

"My cousin's picture is used in the promotional material at the training centre," explains Julie.

"I'd worked in an office and it wasn't for me. I like problem solving and getting involved so this really suited me.

"Now we'll just have to see if there is any family rivalry!" GILLIAN MUIR, 35, Bellshill GILLIAN, above, a married mum-of-two worked in Scottish Gas' Uddingston office before being encouraged to become an apprentice via the ladies' day presentation.

"It will be good to get back meeting people face-to-face again. Call centre work was all very well, but you do miss meeting people.

"My daughter Rachel is really enthusiastic. It will be funny seeing my kids come to mummy rather than daddy to fit plugs!" HOLLY HOGTON, 33, East Kilbride YOU name it, Holly has done it. The former hospital lab worker turned financial adviser for Motorola decided she wanted to get involved with Scottish Gas two years ago.

She had no problems passing her exams but she struggled with one thing - the camping!

"Before I came here my only camping experience was for T in the Park!" she jokes.

"This year we've been away a few times, going off to places like St Mary's Loch. At the age of 33 I'd rather be in a hotel! We'll all prove that women can do this job as well as men - even if some of the customers can't believe we're really engineers!"