A Jobs Victoria apprentice and trainee initiative is boosting gender diversity in construction.
When Nadia Conte returned to Melbourne after living overseas for eight years, getting the carpentry apprenticeship she wanted proved challenging.
She’d loved tinkering with tools in the backyard as a child. But as a 30-year-old mature-age candidate, breaking into one of the most male-dominated occupations in the country without any industry contacts was difficult.
Nadia got her break into the trade through the Big Build initiative - a partnership between Jobs Victoria, Apprenticeships Victoria and the Apprenticeship Employment Network. At least 60% of the 300 construction apprenticeships and traineeships available through the initiative are for women.
The number of hours worked by women carpenters in Australia has remained virtually unchanged for more than three decades. In 1986-87, women did 0.4% of the carpentry hours worked, rising to just 1% in 2021-22.
According to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, the lack of gender diversity in occupations like carpentry, construction management, truck driving and software programming is concerning. The committee says it limits productivity, labour market flexibility and job mobility.
This International Women’s Day we’re supporting opportunities for women like Nadia to get their dream job in non-traditional industries.
For more information visit Jobs Victoria Big Build apprenticeships.
