Driving structural and cultural change to build women's careers

The Australian Government is calling for organisations to apply for the Building Women’s Careers Program partnership grants.

The Government is investing $60.6 million in the program to drive women’s participation in VET and the workplace through innovative and scalable partnerships.

The grants will create partnership projects to help increase women’s access to skilled and well-paid careers and help address skills shortages across the economy.

Projects will address the barriers for women entering, remaining and advancing in the traditionally male-dominated industries of construction, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and digital and technology.

These projects could include:

• changes to workplace and training cultures and behaviours that support women to feel safe, secure and free from gender-based discrimination or harassment
• developing more flexible approaches to rostering arrangement for work and/or study that support women and men with caring responsibilities
• supporting women to gain the experience and/or the VET based qualifications in their industry that enable them to achieve more senior and/or higher paid roles (based on merit)
• scaling up of existing projects that have led to increased rates of recruitment and retention to multiple sites across a state or the country

Projects will be delivered in partnership between industry, employers, registered unions, training organisations and community organisations.

The program was announced in the 2024-25 Budget under the $22.7 billion Future Made in Australia initiative.

Grants will be available for industry-led projects and community-led projects.

The industry-lead large projects will have a minimum of four partner organisations who collectively employ more than 1,000 employees in the industries. Small-scale projects will be led by community organisations and will have a minimum of three project partners.

This approach allows partnerships to focus on creating scalable, high-quality, and inclusive training and employment opportunities for women. 

Applications for the Building Women’s Careers Program can be submitted from 14 November, and close at 5pm (AEDT) on 2 December.

For more information on the program and how to apply, visit the Department of Employment and Workplace website at dewr.gov.au/building-womens-careers-program

Quotes attributable to the Minister for Women, Senator Katy Gallagher:

“We want to make sure that our Future Made in Australia plan delivers better jobs, fairer wages, and greater opportunities for Australian women.

“Australia has one of the highest rates of industry segregation among advanced economies – impacting skills in critical workforces and contributing to the gender pay gap.

“The Building Women’s Careers program helps to address the structural and cultural barriers to make sure these are sectors and workplaces where women can work and thrive, with safety and respect.”

Quotes attributable to the Minister for Skills and Training, Andrew Giles:

“The Building Women’s Careers Program is introducing new pathways for women to enter traditionally male-dominated industries of construction, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and digital and technology.

"Every job should be open to everyone, it’s that simple. We need to keep working to break down the barriers that have held women back from pursuing their goals.

“The program creates a practical on-the-ground approach for improving flexible, safe and inclusive work and training practices. It will bring together industry, employers, unions and the community to drive systemic structural and cultural change.”