SPARK collaboration boosts women into the construction industry
Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) was proud to be one of the industry partners who worked together to give 15 women a break into the heavily male-dominated construction industry through the SPARK, ATC and Lendlease Women in Construction Jobtrainer Program in 2022. The fully funded five-week program delivered a combination of theory, practical hands-on learning, site tours, and work preparation sessions to the group of enthusiastic participants. Graduates were also awarded a Certificate II in Construction on completion.
The program was initiated in 2022 when Lendlease approached the Australian Training Company and SPARK about a potential woman and gender-diverse people-only construction program. Registered Training Organisations, Creative Safety Solutions, and CIT then came on board to assist with both theoretical and practical based training.
Keith Brown, High Risk and Construction Safety Trainer from Canberra Institute of Technology who was involved in the program said that CIT has always enjoyed working with SPARK.
“CIT can deliver the training but we really need that pastoral care as well,” Keith said.
The importance of the program is highlighted by the fact that despite multiple gender equality initiatives and regulations at all levels of the Australian Government over the years, in 2020, only 1% of the trades and technician positions in the construction industry were filled by women, as indicated in Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT’s) Women in Construction 2020 report.
SPARK participant, Kaitlyn Lucas said that getting into the construction industry is really important.
“Lendlease are a huge part of this as well and they have offered us an opportunity at the end of it and I’m really keen to get onboard with that,” Kaitlyn said.
The success of the SPARK, ATC and Lendlease Women in Construction Jobtrainer Program was also celebrated at the Australian Capital Territory Training Awards in September 2023 when the program was acknowledged for building a pipeline for women to enter the construction industry and was awarded the ACT Industry Collaboration Award.
This story was written in collaboration with Canberra Institute of Technology
