As July comes to an end, we’re excited to share our latest news, recap what's been happening at EWIT this month and discuss what's on for August!
Empowered Women In Trades (EWIT) Group Australia
Striving for 30% Female Representation by 2030. Join us in shaping a more inclusive future in skilled trades.
July is almost over, so let's recap all the exciting things that happened at EWIT this month, from networking opportunities and skilled trades programs to launching the EWIT Alliance Membership and the Thrive Masterclasses and becoming a Finalist in the Social Enterprise Business Category for the 2024 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards - it's been a busy month! We even launched the Empowered Women In Trades Podcast Series, with new episodes everyday Monday to kick-start your week.
EWIT ALLIANCE MEMBERSHIP
Our Alliance Members assist in funding EWIT’s initiatives to increase female and gender-diverse representation in skilled trade, while gaining valuable membership bonuses.
At EWIT, we are dedicated to supporting women and non-binary people to consider the exciting prospects that await in a career in skilled trades, which can provide them with financial security and independence, alongside fantastic career opportunities.
By joining the EWIT Alliance Membership before the end of August, your organisation not only supports a more diverse and inclusive workforce, it also stands a chance to win a Thrive Masterclass delivered by Hacia Atherton, a pioneer in Applied Positive Psychology within workplaces.
Why join the Alliance? You can assist us to achieve our vision of 30% female representation in skilled trades by 2030, while gaining great benefits for your business or organisation.
A message from our Founder and CEO, Hacia Atherton, CPA, MAPP
Interested? Join Here
For more information, you can have a chat with our friendly team on 1800 18 EWIT or 1800 183 948, or send us an email at [email protected]
HACIA'S THRIVE MASTERCLASS
Join the Alliance by 31st August for your chance to win 1 of 3 Thrive Masterclasses facilitated by EWIT CEO, Hacia Atherton, valued at over $9000.
Hacia is a leading authority in organisational psychological wellbeing. The Thrive Masterclass is a transformative experience that empowers leadership, enhances team dynamics and fosters a culture of wellbeing and success through positive psychology principles.
Understand and harness the pillars of the Self-Determination Theory: the ladder of inference, perception unveiled, PERMA culture and psychological safety.
2024 AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S SMALL BUSINESS AWARDS
We are beyond grateful to be recognised as a finalist in the Social Enterprise Business Category for the 2024 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards!
This is the biggest celebration for Women in Small Business. EWIT’s commitment to empowering women and gender diverse individuals to forge new careers in the trades industry has gathered national recognition. It couldn’t have been possible without our amazing founder and CEO, our dedicated team and our EWIT community. Let’s continue on the road of success in the exciting journey of achieving 30% female representation by 2023!
PLUMBING, PLUMBING, PLUMBING
This month, we gave women and non-binary individuals who were interested in joining the plumbing industry the chance to show off their skills and get hands-on at our Explore the World of Plumbing Day program at Reece Plumbing Heidelberg and Ringwood branch!
We learnt how to clamp working pipes together, using hand and press tools like the B press fittings and connected them to conex fittings. It was all about trying something new and stepping out of comfort zones and that is the kind of positive attitudes we love to see.
DRIVE YOUR SKILLS - KINETIC
All the participants had the amazing opportunity to get up close and personal with a behind the scenes tour of Kinetic Fitzroy Depot. They looked under the hood of zero-emission busses, matched parts of the bus and got their hands on the tools. They got to experience standing under a 100% electrical bus powered by clean energy!
Everyone got to board an electrical bus and get connected directly with networks and job opportunities at Kinetic. It was truly a step further down the road for connecting careers in transport/the driving industry and work opportunities for women and non-binary individuals.
TRADIE BOOTCAMP LENDLEASE COLLAB
At the start of the month, EWIT were proud to collaborate with Lendlease for the Tradie Bootcamp, aimed at breaking down the barriers for women seeking employment and apprenticeship opportunities in the construction industry. The bootcamp is a pre-employment program derived from Lendlease and Apprenticeship Employment Network’s (AEN) and delivered in collaboration with Apprenticeships Victoria, Victoria University, AFE Skills and Jobs Centres at Box Hill and Holmesglen. This program prepared participants for their first day on the job and enhancing the retention rates of women in traditionally male-dominated trades.
This program resulted in ten women kick-starting their career with nine employers across a range of trades.
EWIT sends huge congratulations to everyone for their enthusiasm and commitment to the program and to the incredible women who are now out there in trade roles showing the industry how amazing they are! A big shout out to the AEN and Lendlease for their vision and drive to get the program up and running.
EWIT also wishes to recognise the generous support of our key partners and their contribution to the program, including Workforce Australia – Local Jobs Program (Inner Metro Melbourne), DeWalt, Zadie Workwear, and Steel Blue. Their involvement provided essential resources and support, further enriching the training experience for the participants.
Thanks so much to Steel Blue for donating work boots to these amazing future apprentices!
PODCAST LAUNCH
Hosted by Sarah Cull, Hacia Atherton and guest hosts, the EWIT podcast series shines a light on remarkable organisations & individuals, who are passionately working towards increasing female representation in the industry, particularly within skilled trades. It is a great platform where guests can share their knowledge and passion for driving transformative change and we believe that together, we can make a significant positive impact towards achieving 30% female representation in trades by 2030. A new episode drops every Monday morning - make sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode!
EPISODE 4: Monday 29th July with KEN RICHARDSON
Seasoned refrigeration engineer and EWIT Champion 2024, Ken Richardson stepped into a national role as Quality Assurance Manager for Coca-Cola in 2023. In this super informative podcast, Ken talks about the importance of fostering a workplace culture that supports women in traditionally male-dominated industries and he shares some excellent advice for women considering a career in refrigeration or other technical trades.
EPISODE 3: Monday 22nd July with JASMINE GARNER
Plumber Jasmine Garner is an influential Australian rules footballer who made history by scoring the AFLW's first-ever goal while playing for Collingwood in the league's inaugural match in 2017. Now playing for North Melbourne in the AFL Women's competition, Jas is a dedicated advocate for women in trades and gender diversity in the workforce - make sure to check out her great podcast!
EPISODE 2: Monday 15th July with FELICITY PETTIFORD
EWIT’s 2024 Tradie Lady of the Year, Felicity Pettiford, was the youngest qualified female carpenter and builder in her region. Felicity shares her story of being the only girl in school to study woodwork and the bullying she faced. That didn’t stop her. She turned those challenges into success! Now an Ambassador for Carpentry Australia and owner of Sydney Builder Chick, Felicity is inspiring many women to pick up the tools and go for it!
EPISODE 1: Monday 8th July with HACIA ATHERTON
EWIT Founder and CEO, Hacia Atherton, comes from a 5th generation plumbing and manufacturing lineage and is the first female in her family to ever work in the family business. In this debut episode Hacia opens up about her resilience that grew from life threatening injuries and the inspiration that motivated her to create Empowered Women in Trades. She is a passionate advocate with an unwavering dedication to achieving 30% female and non-binary representation in trades by 2030.
WHAT'S ON FOR AUGUST?
Date: Wednesday 21 August
Time: 6:30am-9:00am
Location: 204-206 Arden St, North Melbourne VIC
Have the opportunity to engage with recruiters and tradie ladies over breakfast. Includes informative panel discussions and an exclusive interview on leadership with a super inspiring AFLW player, plus DeWalt tool demonstrations.
Register here
Date: Tuesday 27 August
Time: 9:00am-3:30pm
Location: Kidman Park, Adelaide
Join us to discover career pathways and connect with jobs at APA, including welding, leak fixing and more. Tour the facility, get hands-on and give it all a go! Hear from the team as they take us through a day in the life at APA and energy infrastructure.
Register here
Date: Wednesday 28 August
Time: 6:30am-8:30am
Location: 108 Railway Terrace, Mile End, SA
Calling all women and gender diverse people to join us at this awesome networking opportunity to connect, learn and explore career opportunities in trades. Includes refreshments and the chance to win some great prizes! Proudly in collaboration with Apprenticeship Support Australia and Bunnings Trade, building networks for a brilliant future.
Register here