70 Northland schoolgirls keen for career in infrastructure sector

The 70-plus high school girls who attended the Girls in Infrastructure event in Whangārei last week.

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The 'Girls in Infrastructure' event in Whangārei last week provided young women with an idea of careers in the sector.

Women have a major role to play in the future of Northland's infrastructure sector with more than 70 young women taking part in a Girls in Infrastructure event.

That's the belief of Northpower Network general manager Josie Boyd following the event at Golden Bay Cement, in Portland, last week.

Hosted by the Northland Chapter of Women's Infrastructure Network (part of Infrastructure New Zealand), of which Boyd is chairwoman, the event is designed to break down barriers and show senior high school students that careers in infrastructure can provide exciting pathways to employment.

"The 2021 Girls in Infrastructure day was created to increase awareness of the awesome and diverse range of jobs across the infrastructure industry," Boyd said.

She said the Women in Infrastructure Network Northland Committee is passionate about mentoring young Northland women and encouraging them to pursue interesting careers in infrastructure.

More than 70 female high school students aged over 16, from over 10 Northland schools and institutions, attended the highly successful event and by the end of the day some were even operating diggers.

Ten local and national infrastructure companies were in attendance to share their knowledge and career pathways.

The Girls in Infrastructure event in Whangārei last week provided young women with an idea of careers in the sector.

"The infrastructure industry is absolutely for everybody and employers want to actively hire women but they are not coming through because they are not aware of the roles available.

"That is why we are creating awareness and giving students access to speak to women with successful careers in infrastructure – from engineers to crane operators, environmental planners, health and safety professionals and project managers,'' Boyd said.

"A lot of us fell into infrastructure careers by accident but we wish we had these sort of events to show us what options were available in trades, apprenticeships, professional pathways, university and tertiary qualifications, plus on the job training.

"There is a large pipeline of infrastructure projects in Northland and New Zealand and once these young women have the skills they will be very employable."

Golden Bay Cement's process engineering manager Kelly Stevens said the company jumped at the chance to host the Girls in Infrastructure event.

"We were excited to show off our plant and talk to the girls about a possible career in Infrastructure. The room was buzzing with excitement from the schoolgirls and the stallholders. It was such a cool event to be involved with."