Master Builders Australia invites women with up to five years experience in the building and construction industry to apply for the 2023 Women Building Australia mentor program.
The program runs over nine-months commencing on 28 March with applications closing on 28 February.
"Mentees will be paired up with established industry leaders in the industry to access support, encouragement and advice through a mentorship relationship," said Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn.
"With monthly engagements, program participants will also be required to attend the program launch, mid-program review and end of year wrap up.
"The building and construction industry is one of the largest sectors in Australia. During November 2022, there were 1.29 million people employed in the industry working in over 445,000 construction businesses.
"However, women currently make up only 13.6 per cent of the industry's total workforce. Three in 10 professionals in the industry are women by only 3.5 per cent are building trades and technicians.
"The industry is missing out on the skills and talents of half the population by not attracting more women into trades.
"Improving the attractiveness of the industry to women presents a massive opportunity to increase the pool of potential workers and this program is one of the many initiatives through Master Builder's Women Building Australia to assist," said Ms Wawn.
Rebecca Bishop and owner of Elite Building is a mentor in the program: "I loved watching my mentee grow so much during our time together. Being a mentor helped me to grow and learn new skills too.
"We need more women in construction. I recommend the program to all women who want to build their network, feel less alone, develop better communication skills, work on themselves, feel more confident and make some new connections and friends," said Ms Bishop.
2022 program participant Laura Stevenson, a carpenter by trade, said: "My mentor Tara who has many years experience in the industry was really great at giving me some insights on how to navigate it all and some ideas about the future.
"I was just starting off in my career and unsure at first of what I wanted in the program. I'd highly recommend this program to anyone starting out even if they felt unsure like me as it was nice feeling to work with someone who just gets it," said Ms Stevenson.
Ms Wawn said the industry is making progress. The gender pay gap is declining faster than average. The proportion of women in all occupation groups, except administration, is increasing.
"There are more female trades and technicians in construction than ever before and the number of females commencing a trade apprenticeship has more than doubled in the last five years," said Ms Wawn.
Women Building Australia is supported through a Federal Government grant and delivered through Master Builders Australia aimed to attract and support women to succeed in the building and construction industry. It includes a range of initiatives including career expos, a female led business register, business resilience training and a dedicated harassment and discrimination support line.
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