When Stephanie Castaldo decided she wanted to be an apprentice in the construction industry, her father — a carpenter — was initially doubtful.
“They get over that sexist barrier pretty quickly once you show them that you’re actually here to do the same thing as them, and you can do it just as well.”Women make up just 3 per cent of almost 300,000 construction trade workers in Victoria, a figure that has barely budged for decades. “But if you just add up the numbers of all the projects that have got women going through them at the moment, there is no way it’s going to meet the target,” she says.
But the industry-wide figures mask a huge disparity in the types of construction jobs undertaken by women. While women were far more likely to be employed in construction industry desk jobs, trades and technical roles remain heavily male-dominated. “With more females coming into the industry, our industry is far less aggressive. And I think it brings a balance to our construction sites that we’ve lacked,” he says.
“The success of the Building Equality Policy is dependent on our industry and other stakeholders working collaboratively, enhancing education pathways for young people, and disrupting the usual approach to recruitment.”Apprenticeships Victoria said in a report that progress finding 300 suitable trainees and apprentices in the construction industry, 60 per cent of whom must be women, had been slow.
JewelTopsfield joshgordo Perhaps most women just don't want to work in construction, nothing to do with the atmosphere or the tradies. They just don't want to do that type of work.