Hundreds experience infrastructure industrySponsored
Connexis helps open career doors nationwide for young women
Hundreds of young women throughout the country have experienced a taste of working in the infrastructure industry in a programme designed to showcase different career options.
The infrastructure industry keeps New Zealand running – through water, power and roading - and is a booming sector that is forecast to require around 44,000 more people over the next five years. New recruits are vital to keep the industry operating and women are significantly underrepresented, only accounting for about 6 per cent of new trainees.
Every year Connexis – the Industry Training Organisation (ITO) for infrastructure –targets young women with its annual Girls with Hi-Vis® (GWHV) campaign. This year the campaign was held in May and June.
The nationwide campaign sees companies in the civil, energy, telecommunication and water industries open their doors for a day, specifically to women who are interested in knowing more about what they do and the career opportunities available.
Mercury in Hamilton was just one example of a successful GWHV open day. Mercury hosted students from Morrinsville College, Cambridge High and Hamilton Girls' High to hear from senior infrastructure leaders in the company and visit Mercury's hydro station at Karāpiro.
Mercury senior geologist Candice Bardsley told students that working within the infrastructure industry offered varied and rewarding career opportunities.
The self-confessed “rock obsessed” geologist, wished she had known more about the options available to her when she was at school.
“Girls in Hi Vis exposes young women to careers that back in my day I didn’t know about.
“As a geologist, I get to work with an amazing group of scientists, who together get to make multi-million decisions on wells and how to best manage our resources, and that’s pretty damn cool.”
Morrinsville College year 13 student Andie Judge is looking at studying engineering at Canterbury University next year. Girls with Hi-Vis interested her because she wanted to learn more about the industry.
“Engineering excites me, especially civil engineering, because it allows you to build/create/design things that can benefit the community like making their day-to-day lives easier and safer and making things nicer to look at rather than just huge concrete giants.
“I think women aren’t entering into those types of careers because it has, over the years, been primarily promoted as a man’s career. That’s why Girls with Hi-Vis days are good for promoting the infrastructure industry and I would love to see more girls from my area get exposed to that sort of thing,” Judge said.
Reflecting on the success of the GWHV this year Connexis chief executive Toby Beaglehole says: “The support from industry and employers for this year’s GWHV has been nothing short of fantastic, from the engaging and positive activities for the students to the employer collaboration over joint events. We’ve seen our future apprentices, engineers, and leaders arrive cautious and slightly hesitant, and leave curious, enthusiastic and engaged.
“For Connexis this is a heart-warming initiative to be part of, and it represents the essence of what we’re about – supporting employers to grow young people through on-the-job learning into amazing careers. Our sincere thanks to everyone involved for stepping up, investing time, energy and creativity, and giving New Zealand’s young women a great window into the opportunities inherent in infrastructure.”
GWHV held 18 events from Northland through to Invercargill with a total of 453 attendees.
GWHV feedback:
I sincerely believe the event will have changed some minds, and hopefully some lives!
Sarah Lang, project director, Infrastructure New Zealand
“Well done to everyone and thank you. I felt so proud to be associated with your industry and part of yesterday’s event. I believe it really made a difference, upon talking to my daughter…. she learnt a lot about the industry and didn’t realise that you could earn and learn so it has opened a new door for her to consider.”
Parent of an attendee
"Many thanks for your emails and your support for our first GWHV event. We are thrilled that it went so well and have had excellent feedback.
"An interesting trip home for the girls by all accounts – they were taking great notice of the construction works. The 'Digger School' was an absolute hit - a practical aspect to the day is definitely the key.
"It was also a very valuable day for all our female staff. A chance to shine and tell their 'stories' to other young women."
Margo Connell, Connell Contractors
