Construction on country encourages Tamworth women to enter trades

Specifically, Mrs Cutmore said she wants to help build Indigenous women's confidence in trade roles.

"When we first started the girls were so nervous of the machines, they were scared," she said.

"You can place any of the girls that I have worked with behind the machines and they will drive those machines,

"They are building their self-confidence and identities."

That same enthusiasm was brought by the New England and North West Employment Facilitator Rechelle Leahy Construction on Country event at the Tamworth Youthie on Thursday, June 29, with the goal of spreading that passion to communities throughout the New England.

Construction on Country is a new program being offered to First Nations, Torres Strait Islander, and migrant women allowing them the chance to interact with different employers about job opportunities and pathways in a variety of trades.

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The program is supported by a Connecting Women to Trades Grant from the NSW education department.

"The kick off today was about getting the women into a safe space and introduce them to employers within the workforce," Mrs Leahy said.

Some of the companies on the panel included Fantastic Employers, Obieco Industries, Thomas Foods International, Armidale Regional Council, and New England Solar Farm.

Mrs Leahy said construction is booming, especially in our region.

"We have across Australia 80,000 new jobs in construction came out in the last 12 months,"

"In our region [New England] alone construction and trades pathways are top ten in employment opportunities and we vastly need people," she said

According to the National Skills Commission, 51 per cent of the New England region's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are women.

Through connecting these women to the various employers, she said, there is a real opportunity to help them secure economic security for not only themselves, but their communities.

Mrs Leahy said they also want to understand what these women need to enter these jobs, especially mothers.

"One of the things we're trying to do here, is on the ground, learn how we can create more effective programs," she said.

"Not only linking them into what they are interested in, but also support them in a way that helps them find specialised shift work, so school hour shift work.

"Companies such as Thomas Foods and Biada and other companies are doing that across Tamworth now and have been able to increase the number of women coming into these jobs," she said.

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