Upskilling women in the west
The Tradeswomen Australia Community Foundation (TWACF) will use its West Gate Neighbourhood Grant towards creating the Maribyrnong Women Pathways into Trade Program – a program to help ethnically diverse women gain access to trade employment opportunities and, through this, feel included in the local community.
The program will help local women gain access to jobs in the trades industry, where they are currently underrepresented, so that they can support themselves and their families.
“Female participation as apprentices and trainees in the construction, automotive and electrical trades is less than 2% and has changed little over the last 25 years,” organisation founder Fiona McDonald explains.
“Through our innovative and targeted program, we will equip women with the skills they need to access trade occupations – from building to construction to automotive,” she says.
The TWACF will work in partnership with local employers, community service providers and the Maribyrnong City Council to assist the ethnically diverse women in its programs, who are often faced with additional employment barriers, and in turn educate partners about working with ethnically diverse women.
“Support from the West Gate Neighbourhood Fund will make it possible for us to embark on this important project to give local ethnically diverse women the start they need to get a job in the trades and at the same time develop community connectedness,” Fiona says.
In addition to helping women enter the workforce, the program will assist young females who are currently disengaged, or at risk of being disengaged, from high school.
The organisation’s project is one of 28 projects funded as part of the West Gate Neighbourhood Fund Grants in areas such as arts and culture, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, sustainability, sport and recreation, and education.
