The Women in Non-traditional Trades (WNTT) program assists young women to find an apprenticeship through Sarina Russo Apprenticeships (SRA) testing, streaming and matching services and supports them through the entirety of their apprenticeship through our mentoring services.
Only 13% of Australia’s building and construction workforce are women. From that number, only 2% are in trades, with 11% working in administration or support roles. With skilled worker shortages, low employment rates and a high demand for construction works, the Government is pushing for more opportunities for women to get involved in trades. The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) are hoping to have women making up 25% of the construction industry by 2025.
Women currently working in construction have repeatedly said that greater diversity within the workplace will not only fix the labour shortages but will help to stamp out the sexism women face in male-dominated worksites. Not feeling welcome, equal or safe within the workplace has been identified as the biggest barrier for women looking to get into a trade.
As a positive step forward, a 20-unit apartment block construction project, funded by the Department of Housing and Public Works, and awarded to QBuild gave priority to hiring female trades. The project ended up having a workforce that was 33% female. QBuild used the project to discover the best ways to increase female participation in construction and support the retention of female apprentices and tradies and now plan to put these processes into place for future projects.
Recently Queensland has shown a record number of women in trades. According to the National Centre of Vocational Education Research (NCVER) and data released in the September 2021 quarter, Queensland has 79,295 apprentices and trainees with 22,910 or 28.9% being female. SRA are keen to work on increasing the number of female apprentices Australia wide.
Find out more about how to get into a non-traditional trade by speaking to an SRA consultant on 13 15 59. Otherwise click here to register for the WNTT gateway services or here to complete the GuideU to help us understand the specifics of what work environment you’re seeking.
Sources
Hewson, G (18 April 2022), There are record-breaking numbers of female tradies in Qld, but sexism keeps them off worksites, expert says. Retrieved from There are record-breaking numbers of female tradies in Qld, but sexism keeps them off worksites, expert says - ABC News
Meacham, S (10 August 2022), Massive tradie shortage puts more pressure on Aussie construction industry. Retrieved from Massive tradie shortage puts more pressure on Australian construction industry (9news.com.au)
Van Es, M (30 July 2022), Female tradies inspire next generation to fight gender stereotype through school program. Retrieved from Female tradies inspire next generation to fight gender stereotype through school program - ABC News
Whitson, R (21 July 2022), Women in construction say greater diversity will stamp out sexism and fix labour shortages. Retrieved from Women in construction say greater diversity will stamp out sexism and fix labour shortages - ABC News
