It has been a busy few months for us as conference season is well underway.
Empowered Women in Trades (EWIT) has been meeting with a huge number of companies, from small contracting businesses to the largest manufacturing and construction corporations at events like Sydney Build and the Future of Construction Summit in Brisbane.
At a completely different end of the spectrum, we also hosted stands at the Trades & Tech Fit Careers Expo and the South East Careers Expo – where we connected with thousands of high school students to demonstrate what a rewarding career skilled trades can be.
Face-to-face
EWIT is the intersection of these important relationships. At one end we are speaking with industry – companies who need more skilled and enthusiastic tradies and apprentices to meet the vast needs of an industry suffering from skills shortages – and at the other end, we spend days at a time in our programs meeting women and gender-diverse people who are trying to decide on a career path. People who aren’t yet aware of the fantastic opportunities represented by trades.
It is exhilarating to be the connecting tissue between these two groups – because we are living every day at the nexus of the potential and the opportunities that each provides.
Brick by brick
We are often asked how organisations can get involved. EWIT fights to create these opportunities and connect the elements to solve industry needs. To succeed we need the industry to support the activities we provide.
We have just launched a new initiative to allow businesses who wish to support us and the programs we run to bring more women to skilled trades. Called Alliance Membership, it provides an opportunity for all organisations large and small to directly support EWIT programs.
Alliance Members promote their support of a diverse skilled workforce through the activities we provide the industry, and their support enables us to focus on creating the valuable connections that will bring more women and gender-diverse humans into skilled trades. If you would like to find out more about Alliance membership visit the EWIT website (ewitrades.com).
We believe programs like this are vital because the duplication of effort to provide opportunities for women in the industry has become both inefficient and it is slowing progress. By supporting EWIT services our partners not only demonstrate their commitment, they ensure that we can continue to do the work to coordinate with the government, support industry and create pathways for women into trades. Creating the most sustainable and best industry for the future.
It is estimated that 486,000 new workers are needed in the construction industry alone by 2026. Our target of 30 per cent female representation by 2030 addresses this vital goal but we need the support and coordinated efforts of our village.