Women wanting to forge careers in the building industry will receive extra support with the launch of Master Builders’ Advancing Women in Building and Construction Program by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Minister for Women Michalia Cash.
“The Commonwealth Government will provide $250,000 in funding over 12 months for this pilot program under its Women’s Leadership and Development strategy to help increase the participation and employment of women in the building industry,” Wilhelm Harnisch, CEO of Master Builders Australia said.
“It will come as no surprise that women are substantially under-represented in what is a traditionally male dominated industry but Master Builders is determined to build on our current efforts to change that,” he said.
“Advancing Women in Building and Construction will provide a dramatic boost to Master Builders’ commitment to providing real opportunities for women to have rewarding lifelong careers in the building industry by attracting, mentoring and retaining women in the industry,” Wilhelm Harnisch said.
“Women currently only make up 11% of the industry’s workforce while in the traditional trades women comprise just 1%,” he said.
“Master Builders recognises that there is substantial opportunity for continued improvement but also significant cultural barriers to overcome including the inbuilt biases of middle managers and some parents and teachers identified by Master Builders. Advancing Women in Building and Construction is about breaking down those barriers to women commencing, maintaining and reaching their full potential in the industry,” Wilhelm Harnisch said.
“The program will also deliver to employers the benefits of attracting and retaining increased numbers of workers largely untapped by the industry,” he said.
“We know that while they are currently low in number, women trained in building trades are highly motivated to attain high standards in the skills that employers need.” Wilhelm Harnisch said.
“Building techniques are rapidly changing as new technology increasingly takes hold in the industry and increasing the numbers of women in building will play a key role in the industry meeting the rising demand for a skilled workforce,” he said.
“The building industry will create 300,000 new jobs over the next decade which will provide huge opportunities for women find employment, empowerment and opportunities to advance and achieve their full potential in an exciting and expanding industry,” Wilhelm Harnisch said.