About Us
Our Program
The BUSY Sisters mentoring program is specifically designed to support and mentor women to be successful in progressing through their non-traditional apprenticeship or traineeship.
By non-traditional, we mean any apprenticeship or traineeship pathway in a field that is ordinarily male-dominated. For example, Mechanics, Construction Trades, Engineering, Manufacturing, Agriculture and more.
The BUSY Sisters mentoring program is delivered by experienced female tradeswomen who understand the challenges that females entering non-traditional trades face.
The support program offers:
- An individualised 6-month support plan with weekly contact from your mentor
- Resources and information to help you build lifelong workplace skills.
- Connection to a community of other women entering non-traditional trades.
- Career leadership skills and ability assessment through a world-leading assessment tool, Cognisess.
Our Mentors
BUSY Sisters Mentors have been there too, proving themselves just as capable as the boys! They now want to support other women entering a non-traditional trade!
Caroline
Caroline knows all too well the challenges of entering a male dominated trade. For eleven years Caroline worked in Painting and Decorating, eventually going on to train other apprentices and become an industry advocate. Combine that with her later career as a student liaison officer at various Australian universities and also becoming a qualified counsellor who worked with Relationships Australia, the role as BUSY Sisters mentor could not fit more perfectly!
Caroline believes, “There are very few roles women can’t participate and succeed in, and there’s plenty of male dominated roles that women have a particular aptitude for. Painting is one example as employers find women have great attention to detail and because it’s a finishing trade, they really excel at it.”
Caroline’s advice to women considering or just entering a male-dominated role, “You shouldn’t feel apprehensive or intimidated by being there, so be confident! Understand that workplaces are changing. I think both employers and co-workers are starting to see that strong women are an asset for their company”.
Stephanie Gadd
Trained as a Painter & Decorator in Denmark, Scandinavia, Stephanie (or better known as Steph) completed her Recognised Prior Learning when she moved to Brisbane Australia. Once qualified in Australia, Steph worked as a painter, eventually owning her own business. In later years she attained her bachelor’s degree in counselling.
Steph believes that all who identify as women deserve the same opportunities that men get in the workforce.
“Bringing a counselling and trade background to the ‘Sisterhood’, I understand some of the real-life obstacles that women face when working in a non-traditional trade, more so now as women continue to break the barriers of gender in the workplace.”
It is vital that we make it known that the support we offer is available to empower and encourage the perseverance of your chosen career. We encourage apprentices and trainees to reach out if they are encountering difficulties early – so we can offer the support and resources they may find useful to succeed in their training.
Billie-Jo
Billie-Jo has worked as a qualified chef for ten years and in her earlier career days nearly completed an apprenticeship in mechanics. Billie-Jo says, “I think it’s important for women to work in non-traditional roles as it adds diversity – and women bring a lot to the workplace.
“I remembered things that happened in my own apprenticeship and I can definitely see the value in having someone to talk to. I think someone who understands where you’re coming from, that’s awesome. Access to programs and resources and our experiences if there’s an issue, that’s important to have. Someone to check in who understands what you’re going through.
“Our goal is to improve women’s chances of finishing their apprenticeship (or traineeship). Helping women feel confident, knowing they belong there in that workplace and have a right to succeed”.
