Uni helps women to cash in on coal jobs
Published on 03 March, 2011
CQUniversity is working with a range of partners to present a Women in Hard Hats Mackay Careers Awareness Workshop on Friday, March 11 at the Mackay Campus...
About 160 participants are already registered to attend the workshop and forum aimed at raising awareness of employment opportunities for women in the mining, construction and manufacturing industries.
"By de-mystifying what employment looks like in these industries we are hoping to access a much larger talent pool of potential employees," said Lyn Forbes-Smith from CQUniversity's Pathways Project.
"Participants will be invited to sign on for site tours and training opportunities to be provided by the various organisations who have confirmed their involvement."
Ms Forbes-Smith said CQUniversity's Queensland Centre for Professional Development and Mining Careers Mackay will host the event on Mackay campus, in partnership with Queensland's Office for Women.
"Our forum promises to be the premier event for Central and North Queensland to action the entry of women and girls into mining, construction and manufacturing industries," she said.
Ms Forbes-Smith said that, because of the dominant role of males in key coal-related industries in Mackay region, it is no surprise there's a greater income differential between males and females in this region compared with Queensland as a whole.
Women in Hard Hats Mackay will raise awareness on securing work in non-traditional roles, specifically in the mining, construction and manufacturing industries. The aim is to raise women and girls' awareness of non-traditional employment and to de-mystify entry pathways into non-traditional employment.
The event will include a guest speaker, a female Q&A panel of industry role models and break-out elective sessions focusing on pathways into mining, construction and manufacturing.
Stakeholders in the event are expected to include job network agencies, training providers, high schools, industry employers, industry groups, economic development corporations and the Mackay Regional Council.
Lyn Forbes-Smith from the Pathways program
More information is available via:
Mining Careers Mackay
Phone: 07 4940 7878
Email: miningcareersmackay@cqu.edu.au OR
Office for Women (Mackay)
Phone: 07 4967 1031