Construcciones Yamaro: NAWIC’s Allyship in Action project gets underway
The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) is bringing men into the conversation on gender equality with its $5 million Allyship in Action project.
By Cathryn Greville, CEO of NAWIC.
As the recipient of one of 10 Building Women’s Careers (BWC) Program Stream One grants announced in February, NAWIC is pleased to confirm that we are well on our way to getting our Allyship in Action: Transforming Culture to Attract and Retain Women project up and running.
NAWIC was awarded a $5 million grant from the Federal Government’s flagship BWC Program for its innovative project designed to engage specifically with men in the construction sector.
The funding supports the rollout of the project from April 2025 through to 31 March 2028. The project is being delivered in partnership with ADCO, The Australian Workers’ Union, CPB Contractors, Holmesglen Institute, and the University of Sydney.
We recently appointed Mark Morris as our Allyship in Action senior project manager. At a Community of Practice meeting in Melbourne in June, we met with Australian Minister for Skills and Training Andrew Giles, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations team and other BWC grant project managers.
Our Allyship in Action project aims to tackle poor attitudes and behaviours; empower men to sponsor women into leadership; and utilise the power of cultural ambassadors of all genders to embed positive change on the ground.
While traditional gender equality efforts have predominantly focused on supporting women, this project reflects our commitment to also addressing systemic cultural issues within the industry that create practical barriers to women’s participation, retention and advancement in construction.
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Men currently comprise nearly 88 per cent of the sector. We are committed to involving and welcoming men in all aspects of NAWIC’s work. In fact, 11 per cent of NAWIC’s membership currently identifies as male, and that number continues to grow.
We consider men to be key to building the culture we need to ensure the sector works for women – underpinning its future success and sustainability. Creating fair, inclusive and respectful workplaces is everyone’s responsibility. Engaging men, including men in leadership positions, is vital.
The Allyship in Action project will engage men as partners in change across all career stages and workplace sizes, types and market segments. It draws on research showing that men who participate in allyship programs are three times more likely to positively address gender bias, helping to drive inclusive culture and support women’s advancement.
This project builds on the success of the existing NAWIC Male Allies Program. With Mark now on board, we are recruiting project staff and strengthening stakeholder engagement.
The project aims to deliver a six-month, site-based Allyship pilot program with project partners across four sites for 120 participants, and to roll out a national Male Allies Online Training Program in January next year.
From there, we will launch a Male Sponsorship Program in Queensland and a national Cultural Ambassador Program. A final impact assessment study and project wrap-up will complete the project in April 2028.
It is important to recognise that men themselves are driving this too. Many men recognise that inclusive workplaces benefit everyone – individuals and organisations alike.
When you consider the negative effects of construction culture on areas such as mental health, suicide, flexibility, work-life balance, caring responsibilities and relationship stability, it is clear these issues are just as critical for men as they are for women.
Initiatives like NAWIC’s Allyship in Action project will further amplify the positive impact we are already seeing from men who are committed to working with us to drive better construction culture.
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