Talent shortages, diversity behind strong interest in open days initiative

Sponsored

There has been an unprecedented level of interest from employers who are keen to get involved in Connexis’ Girls with Hi-Vis® (GWHV) this year.

GWHV is held annually across the month of June and sees infrastructure employers in the civil, energy, telco and water sectors open their doors to female high school students.

The goal is to inspire young wāhine to see a future for themselves in the industry by giving them hands-on experience of some of the skills, tools and technology used in roading projects, wind farm maintenance, wastewater treatment and more.

Many employers also provide the opportunity for students to talk to women in the industry, to understand how they got there and why they would recommend it as a career path to other young women.

With an increased urgency to address talent shortages in the infrastructure industries and a growing recognition that diversity brings innovation, GWHV is an important tool in building a sustainable infrastructure workforce now and into the future.

Last year was our most successful GWHV season ever with 23 workplace events and 539 students from 64 schools in 11 regions around the motu.

Getting down to earth with Citycare Water

2022 promises to be even bigger, with most of our regular participating employers registering again, as well as an exciting uptick in signups from GWHV first timers. We have seven companies who are new to GWHV this year, and a total of 32 events confirmed.

It is great to see so many infrastructure companies appreciating the benefits of this initiative and keen to encourage diversity in their industry.

Here are some of the exciting events we have coming this June:

• Downer NZ is taking participants on a tour of Auckland’s City Rail Link, New Zealand’s largest transport infrastructure project. (The date is TBC).
• On 17 June in the Waikato, Civtec and the Waikato Women in Infrastructure Group will work together to create an interactive day of fun with hands-on activities, a tour and talks from inspirational women in the industry.
• After the closure of the Manawatu Gorge in 2017, work has been progressing on an alternative route. HEB Construction will showcase the Te Ahu a Turanga – Manawatu Tararua Highway project to attendees on 2 June.
• Attendees of the Marlborough Lines Ltd event in Blenheim on 15 June will get a feel for the electricity supply industry through a rotation of activities and demonstrations.
• Meridian Energy will lead a tour of the Manapouri Power Station in Southland on 22 June to educate attendees on the fast-growing sector of sustainable energy generation.

Testing the safety equipment at a Unison event at GWHV 2021

Visit the GWHV webpage for details of all 32 confirmed events for 2022.

While company registration has closed, schools can still register their interest in attending an event up until Friday 13 May 2022.

Thanks to all of our 2022 host companies: Citycare Property, Citycare Water, Civtec, Downer NZ, Fletcher Construction, Fulton Hogan, Higgins, Geotechnics, Genesis Energy, HEB Construction, John Fillmore Contracting Ltd, Marlborough Lines Ltd, Meridian Energy, Northern Corridor Improvements Project, Nor West Contracting Ltd, The Piritahi Alliance, Schick Civil Construction, Waitahi Contractors, Watercare Services Ltd.