Mentoring To Boost Women In Building and Construction

Mentoring To Boost Women In Building And Construction

A national mentoring program for women will boost the numbers of women working in the building and construction industry.

"Numbers of women participating in building and construction remain low despite our industry presenting a fantastic opportunity for women to pursue secure, fulfilling and rewarding careers," Denita Wawn, CEO of Master Builders Australia said.

"Part of Master Builders Australia's Women Building Australia initiative, the mentoring program will work to boost female participation by supporting women starting out in the industry," she said.

"The program, which is funded by the Federal Government, follows the success of a successful pilot project developed and implemented by Master Builders in 2017/18," Denita Wawn said.

"It's an important investment in the future workforce and skills needs of the nation's second largest industry. Our industry needs an additional 300,000 people over the next decade so this is about creating jobs now and in the future which boost productivity and growth," she said.

"It is also a pathway to improve the gender pay gap by encouraging more women into a male dominated higher paying industry," Denita Wawn said.

"Important to the program's success is the involvement of both male and female mentors who are established in the industry and whose breadth of experience allows mentees to be matched with a mentor who can best support them," she said.

Applications are now open across the country and close on 11 November 2019. Mentoring will commence in February 2020. We encourage those who would like to be involved to visit the website for more information 

Testimonials from 2018 program case studies

Angela - Mentee
Being mentored by someone that has made many impacts to my way of thinking and working has been a brilliant outcome. I have moments where I actually stop and hear Carolyn's voice telling me "stop doubting your capabilities or is this the best way to react in this situation?"

Melissa – Mentee
Although I had the skill sets to perform in my new role, I lacked the confidence to execute. I needed someone that I could seek advice and guidance from to help me with industry specific topics and workplace scenarios.

During the program I was recognised for my contribution to the business and subsequently promoted.

It can be easy to get discouraged in an industry that is not generally a female domain but with a mentor and confident that has industry experience to help you challenging situations women have rewarding careers in the construction industry.

Kristy – Mentee
I was drawn to the program to hopefully gain connections among other women and understand how to continue the career path I desired. The information and the advice I received through mentoring gave me something I was able to latch onto in getting myself going – to really drive myself to achieve the goals I had set out and which I then accomplished.