Inspiring women to enter non-traditional trade careers, BUSY Group’s BUSY Sisters and Skill360 recently held the inaugural ‘She’s Got Skills Trade Showcase’ event and by all accounts, the day was a huge success!
At the Shailer Park event which saw over 250 interested women and school students from the Gold Coast, Brisbane and as far as Warwick attend, eighteen exhibitors in a variety of trades offered information and hands-on ‘try a trade’ sessions. Participants were given the opportunity to explore different trades and have some fun while they were at it.
From Graeme the Brickie’s bricklaying demos to the Motor Trades Automotive Queensland’s electric car showcase, there was something for everyone. Included in the event was a panel discussion where experienced tradeswomen shared their experience and inspirations during their career journeys, as well as industry representatives who shared insights on non-traditional trade career pathways. With food snacks and competitions to enter, feedback by attended of the event held at the Shailer Park Skill360 Trade Centre was highly positive!
Melissa Bellingham, Vet Coordinator at SCOTS PGC College in Warwick (whose students travelled nearly two hours to attend the event said, “We initially had a chat with Tenille from BUSY Sisters and spoke about the different opportunities for our girls and we decided to bring our girls to show them different career opportunities available to them.
“I think girls especially need to see what different opportunities are out there for them and they’re not just tunnelled down certain industries and careers that are female-oriented. The world is their oyster, they can do whatever they want. I think this event has been great and a lot of our girls have today witnessed industries they may never have thought of before. We will attend future events for sure!”
A part of The BUSY Group who provide a range of employment, skills, apprenticeship support and education offerings, the event was organised by Skill360 (a Registered Training Organisation RTO:1607) and BUSY Sisters, a mentoring program that supports women who are entering traditionally male-dominated trades. With the trades industries continuing to experience skill shortages, more women are entering trade career opportunities and proving their worth in workplaces that are traditionally male-dominated. The mentoring program offers one-on-one support from experienced tradeswomen mentors and a supportive community of like-minded women.
Skill360 specialises in skills training for those entering construction trade careers (along with a range of industry training for job seekers and apprentices). On the day Skill360 were one of the exhibitors who were instrumental in providing hands on ‘try-a-trade’ exhibitions for women, encouraging them to explore trade career paths.
The BUSY Group is already planning more events to empower women in trades so stay tuned for what’s coming up!
Find out more about the BUSY Sisters program.
Find out more about construction trade and business training through Skill360.
Paige, Amira, Georgia and Mackenzie (Year 10 and 11 students from SCOTS PGC College in Warwick) attended and expressed their interest in a range of non-traditional careers including electrician, agriculture, and business for trades. The girls learnt there are many pathways within these chosen trades and enjoyed the interactivity on the day.