By PEACE IJIYERA
YOU can’t be what you can’t see.
Federal Minister for Skills and Training, Andrew Giles, joined Tradeswomen Australia and other stakeholders at the SEC Delburn Wind Farm to highlight the progress of the Powering Her Pathways program.
The initiative creates pathways for women in the trades sector as the energy transition happens. Locally, TAFE Gippsland runs a six-week taster course, designed to equip women with the skills and confidence needed for the workforce.
Currently, women make up around 16 per cent of the energy workforce and six per cent of apprentices in energy trades. The program works to break down barriers and see women thrive in a traditionally male-dominated workforce.
Tradeswomen Australia Chief Executive, Clea Smith highlighted the importance of having programs like this available.
“For women, there are many societal sort of barriers that have meant that they haven’t necessarily automatically landed into these roles. And so projects like this work to … smash the hurdles so that they can come in and really demonstrate what they’re capable of,” she said.
The program is backed by just under $1 million from the federal government, part of $60 million allocated to the Building Women’s Careers program. Ms Smith explained that Tradeswomen Australia are also working with employers in the local area, helping them to facilitate work environments that are safe and welcoming for women.
Ms Smith hopes that through the course, connections will be made in the community that continue to drive change in the energy industry. A special part of the site visit was to spotlight Grace Harding, a young woman and Latrobe Valley local who has been highlighted as a success story from the program. She was a part of the inaugural taster course group, completing the course earlier this year.
She was working in admin previously, but had her sights set on a more “hands-on” job.
“I applied for Powering Her Pathway to really get my foot out there and be able to find a way into the industry where I could be hands-on”, she said.
Finding the course effective, Grace is now undertaking a health and safety officer traineeship at Delta Group, working at the Delburn Wind Farm site.
“She is demonstrating what pathway can look like,” said a beaming Ms Smith.
Mr Giles launched the Powering Her Pathways program last year. He said it is “satisfying” to see the program’s impact a year on.
“We believe that anyone should see themselves doing any job and for too long, too many Australian women haven’t seen a place for themselves in clean energy, and that’s what we’re trying to turn around,” he said.
Mr Giles hopes this program inspires women to dream big and not be held back by “perceptions, discrimination or any other issues”.
Thirteen women recently graduated from the second taster course. In the third taster course, another dozen are expected to graduate, contributing to the growing demand for workers in the energy industry.
