Future ‘tradie ladies’ got a first-hand look at a working construction site in Arrowtown recently, thanks to an initiative designed to encourage more women into the industry.
The ‘Girls in Construction Tour’ of the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust’s Tewa Banks development was organised by the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO).
It’s the third year the organisation’s run the events across the country, with more than 150 young women taking part to date.
Sixteen Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago students, including from Wakatipu High, donned their PPE for the Tewa Banks tour with Breen Construction, which is developing the 68-lot community, and heard from experienced industry members about what it’s like to work in the trades, before heading to Wakatipu High for a hands-on session building planter boxes, and a power tool window installation demonstration, supervised by Breen.
The day also included a presentation about getting involved in the trades via the BCITO Gateway programme and apprenticeships.
It followed another successful ‘Girls in Construction’ event in Dunedin, where students visited the new Dunedin Hospital build.
BCITO education and diversity GM Andrew Donohue says such events are valuable for both students and employers — the former get a better understanding of opportunities available, while the latter get the chance to connect with potential future apprentices and show construction is a place where women can succeed.
And the level of involvement shows there’s "strong interest" from young women when they’re given the chance to see the industry up close, he says.
"If the industry wants to build a stronger workforce that can meet demand when it comes back, it needs to bring more people into the trades, including more young women.
"Programmes like ‘Girls in Construction’ play an important role in widening that pipeline and helping more young people see a place for themselves in the sector.
"There has been progress, but there is still a long way to go."
He notes women now comprise about 6% of BCITO apprentices, compared with about 3% across the wider construction industry.
