STEM Weld call

Weld Australia calls on Federal Government to unlock women’s workforce participation.

To mark International Women’s Day, Weld Australia is calling on the Federal Government to implement a proactive, targeted approach that: engages and recruits women into the trades; implements innovative trade training programs designed specifically for women; and sets measurable gender diversity targets on governmentfunded projects.

“Australia will have a shortfall of at least 70,000 welders by 2030,” said Weld Australia CEO, Geoff Crittenden. “Industry is already at capacity. Weld Australia’s members are currently operating at 50% to 70% capacity, and turning away work because they cannot find enough welders.” “Increasing diversity in the trades is one of the best ways to alleviate the looming skills shortage, and every effort needs to be made to encourage women to become welders,” said Crittenden.

“There are significant economic benefits for women in welding, from increased choice and availability of jobs, through to improved job security, higher than average pay and ample opportunities for progression and promotion. A career in welding is safe and secure—once you’re qualified, you can walk into a job tomorrow. Welding is in-demand because it is essential to the success of so many industries,” said Crittenden.

The five-year pipeline of major federally-funded infrastructure projects is valued at $237bn. On top of this, a veritable army of skilled welders will need to be assembled to build and install the wind and transmission towers, solar farms and other power generation assets needed to achieve the Federal Government’s 43% emissions reductions target by 2030 and net zero by 2050. Plus, there are countless projects in Defence, state government funded projects, and other private developments. With all these government-funded projects in play, measurable gender diversity targets on government-funded projects would have a huge impact. In effect since 1 January 2022, the Victorian Government’s Building Equality Policy (BEP) is an Australian first and aims to disrupt gender stereotypes in the country’s most male-dominated industry. The BEP applies to new government projects, and mandates female representation in at least 3% of each trade role, 7% of each non-trade position and 35% of management, supervisor and specialist labour roles. It also mandates that 4% of labour hours for apprentices and trainees are performed by women.

“The Advanced Manufacturing Outreach Program is unique because it actually engages kids. It is hands-on, fun and educational. It is not just about studying more maths and physics textbooks. The Program uses Seaberry’s Soldamatic augmented reality welding simulators to gamify the learning experience. Anyone can try their hand at the welding simulators and be a star. A lot of these kids have never passed a test in their lives—the light in the kids’ eyes when the simulators gives them the all-clear is really something to see,” said Crittenden.

“Industry research demonstrates that investing in well-paid, secure jobs, expanding the Commonwealth Paid Parental Leave scheme, making early childhood education more affordable and accessible, and making workplaces safe from sexual harassment were key to getting women into work. All these measures must be implemented by both our governments and private industry,” said Crittenden. weldaustralia.com.au

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