Girls Can Too Program Empowering Young Women in Construction for Future Careers
TAFE NSW is actively breaking down barriers and shaping futures for young women through the Girls Can Too initiative, aimed at enhancing female involvement in the construction and trade industries.
In collaboration with the NSW Department of Education's Regional Industry Education Partnerships (RIEP), the program provides high school girls with hands-on exposure to trades traditionally dominated by males. Ranging from week-long intensives to more extensive six-week courses, students are introduced to various fields including construction, electrotechnology, plumbing, refrigeration, appliance servicing, carpentry, and beyond.
Recent initiatives have been conducted at campuses in Leeton, Ulladulla, Griffith, Tamworth, and Broken Hill, with additional locations joining as interest and industry demand rise.
Beyond acquiring practical skills, participants visit job sites, engage with industry experts, and develop job readiness skills such as interview preparation and workplace confidence. This equips them to explore career avenues that might not have been previously considered.
Pete Woodlands, an electrotechnology teacher at TAFE NSW who led the program in Leeton, highlighted the transformative potential of the experience:
“Giving young people the chance to try practical, hands-on tasks can spark an interest they may not have considered before.”
“Hearing directly from women in industry helps break down barriers and builds the self-belief needed to pursue a trade career.”
Paul Goodwin, RIEP officer with the Department of Education, emphasised that Girls Can Too forms a vital part of a larger solution:
“Australia can’t deliver on its infrastructure, housing and net zero goals with only 50 per cent of the workforce. We need to enable more women to be able to contribute to the big picture and gaining the rewards that come with those careers.”
Matthew Thomson, an electrotechnology educator at TAFE NSW who instructed a recent group in Ulladulla, echoed this sentiment:
“Girls Can Too shows students they belong in these spaces. It’s not just about sampling trades, it’s about opening doors to exciting, skilled careers in sectors where demand for talent is growing rapidly.”
As the construction and trade sectors look ahead, Girls Can Too plays a crucial role in ensuring that the upcoming generation is proficient, diverse, and prepared to contribute to the industry's growth.
Source: Inside Construction
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