The Victorian Government is launching a new strategy to encourage more women to consider a career in construction.
Government figures show more women are active in the Victorian labour market than ever before, but they only make up two per cent of the workers in Australian construction which is the country’s most male-dominated industry.
Minister for Industrial Relations Tim Pallas announced the launch of Victoria’s first Women in Construction Strategy which will start with tree initial programs.
The first is a new online jobs portal for women candidates who are looking for roles in the construction industry, providing employment opportunities, recruitment and training support, career counselling and resume services.
A training program developed by the Victorian Trades Hall Council to create respectful relationships on construction sites will be the second program. This will see trained officers visit sites to educate workers and employers about gendered violence in the workplace and how to best support others.
The third initiative will be a new set of recruitment standards and practices for the construction industry, to be developed by the Master Buildings Association of Victoria.
The Women in Construction Strategy will receive $500,000 to implement it’s three key themes; attract, recruit and retain. It was developed alongside the Building Industry Consultative Council made up of employers, industry associations and unions.
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