Construcciones Yamaro: Empowered Women in Trades showcases industry trailblazers
Empowered Women in Trades’ Melinda Davis is putting a spotlight on the trailblazers and changemakers creating a brighter future for women in trades.
By Melinda Davis, COO of Empowered Women in Trades.
The world of Empowered Women in Trades (EWIT) has been incredibly exciting over the last few months, with trips to Toowoomba in Queensland, Timboon and Ballarat in regional Victoria, and the first women in trades networking event in South Australia. The hive of activity has been lots of fun, but in the quiet moments, when you have an opportunity to reflect, that’s when the real excitement happens. A movement is happening in the world of trades.
Supporting more women to go into trades has been an ongoing issue for many years, with less than 3 per cent of women in trade roles across the country. However, this is slowly changing. Women in Plumbing statistics showed that two years ago, female representation sat at less than 1 per cent. The latest Federal Government labour market insights report shows female representation now making up 3 per cent of plumbers across the country. It is a shift in the right direction.
Strong leadership and vision are what we need to continue driving change, shifting culture and moving towards the EWIT ethos of 30 per cent of women in trade roles by 2030. In the industry, we have strong leaders. We have our pioneer women who have led the way and forged a path for others to follow in their footsteps.
Trailblazers like Anna Langford, the first female carpentry apprentice for Master Builders South Australia and now a mentor for the future generation of trades, and Amy Stanton, a plumber who has been open about her journey through trades from apprentice to business owner, shine a light for other women interested in entering the industry. Anna, Amy and many other women like them were the beginning of a movement that changed the landscape in trades.
The most critical part of any movement is the first followers. The first followers are the group of people who become the changemakers and embrace the leadership of the trailblazers. Their actions, beliefs and values begin to normalise behaviours. In the world of trades, our changemakers are out there doing amazing things to normalise and embrace diversity in trades. Let me introduce you to just a couple of changemakers.
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Jasmine Garner is a plumber and AFLW superstar who advocates for women entering trades. Ashley Belteky is a diesel mechanic and VET champion who travels the country telling her story and instilling belief in future generations that women can be whatever they want to be.
In Victoria recently, ten incredible women joined a pre-employment program driven by Lendlease and the Apprenticeship Engagement Network (AEN). EWIT was thrilled to be part of this program and equip these women with the skills and knowledge to support their career development and wellbeing. These superstars have all entered the industry in various apprenticeship roles. Speaking to these women about being changemakers in the industry and seeing them rise to the challenge and be ready to go out there and be themselves and embrace the challenges coming their way was epic.
Our changemakers include the men who are leading the way and recognising that we don’t have to do things the same way just because we have always done it that way. The team at Carpentry Australia are brilliant changemakers, advocating for all humans in the industry as they work to build a better Australia. They are standing side by side with women onsite and getting on with the jobs they are being paid to do. Why? Because that is what we should be doing: treating all people onsite with respect, supporting common goals and just being good humans.
With the trailblazers leading the way, the changemakers normalising behaviours and organisations like EWIT working to build the pipeline of future workers, create opportunities for women to enter trade-based roles and support retention in the industry, the future is bright. Whilst we aren’t perfect yet and we still have a way to go, it is important to acknowledge that this movement is happening, and that is a brilliant thing.
The post Empowered Women in Trades showcases industry trailblazers appeared first on Inside Construction.
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