The Albanese Government is marking its commitment to increasing the female workforce in critical trade industries through the flagship Building Women's Careers Program.
Ahead of International Women's Day, Minister for Skills and Training Andrew Giles announced 10 projects have received grants under the Albanese Government's Building Women's Careers Program.
Right now, women make up less than 8% of all female apprentices in male-dominated trades, and less than 5% of in construction.
Less than one third of apprentices in all trades are women.
The successful grant recipients include:
- Master Builders Australia's Give Her a Chance project to tackle bias in the construction industry through education campaigns, mentoring programs, networking opportunities and best-practice resources and partnerships.
- Professionals Australia's FemTech, which will address barriers preventing women from getting started in Industry 4.0 careers through initiatives that create a talent pipeline.
- And Future Equity Skills' Transforming Gender Equity project, which will research, identify and address specific systemic and cultural barriers to women's participation in clean energy apprenticeships, and transform workplaces through demonstrating the benefits of inclusive recruitment and workplace practices
Ten projects will receive a combined $45 million under the Building Women's Careers program, to be invested in partnerships with some of the country's biggest industry representatives including Australian Industry Group, Australian Workers Union, Multiplex, Bunnings, Viva Energy, Group Training Australia, and TAFEs across Australia.
Other projects funded under today's announcement will focus on creating scalable, high-quality and inclusive training and employment opportunities for women, through partnerships with industry.
Projects include those that:
- encourage industry-wide male advocacy for women
- undertake targeted recruitment activities to boost participation
- provide tailored training packages that build skills
- implement national frameworks that guide industry action
The Building Women's Careers Program was announced in the last budget as part of the Australian Government $22.7 billion Future Made in Australia package.
These partnership projects will address barriers for women entering, remaining and advancing in the traditionally male-dominated industries of construction, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and digital and technology.
