Nice Work If You Can Get It
Nice Work If You Can Get It
Nice Work If You Can Get It is a project that is funded by the Victorian Government. It will identify and address the systemic and practical barriers to gender equal apprenticeship pathways and employment by working with the key conduit for the manufacturing workforce in the region – Chisholm TAFE.
The project will support TAFE educators and industry liaison personnel based in and around Frankston and Dandenong who hold pivotal relationships with small to medium-sized employers in the manufacturing industry and support their skilled workforce needs.
The project will:
- Undertake a needs analysis by using the techniques and tools of gender impact assessment (GIA) to identify the barriers, assumptions and opportunities to create gender equal employment and skill pathways in the regional manufacturing industry.
- Build capability of key TAFE workers in key areas emerging from the GIA process including gender and pedagogy and managing resistance and backlash.
- Build the capacity of leaders and key staff within the TAFE so that the GIA and the capability developed can be sustained over time and knowledge can be effectively translated into the organisation and the local industry.
- Support engagement and connection with local industry and key stakeholders about transformational gender equality in the VET ecosystem.
- Publish, distribute and promote the project, its outcome and any evaluation of the work through the local region to key stakeholders who are working to address skill shortages and gender equality in industry.
The outcomes of the project are to:
- Conduct a comprehensive gender impact assessment for Chisholm TAFE to effectively tackle gender inequality within its manufacturing apprenticeship and employment pathways, in collaboration with local industry partners.
- Demonstrate the application of intersectional gender equity principles and practices in facilitating strategic transformational change and offering practical support, while prioritising the incorporation of lived experiences, in the context of industry skills policy and diversity programs.
- Enhance the capacity and confidence of educators, supervisors, and industry liaison personnel to recognise and effectively address gender disparities within manufacturing apprenticeship pathways for women, fostering a more inclusive and equitable environment.
- Build deeper conversations and relationships with local manufacturing industry on gender equality and empower the public provider to drive this change work in its key constituency.
The delivery of the activities underpinning the work will be a combination of face to face training, workshops, roundtables on site and forums. It will also include meetings with key leadership within the TAFE and in industry.
The number of participants in this program directly impacted by the activities will be comprising key staff of Chisholm who support apprenticeship pathways.
The anticipated impact of the project will be to increase the number of women who are completing manufacturing apprenticeships and the number of women in manufacturing roles linked to those apprenticeships.
WHISE will lead and manage the project, with resources allocated as follows:
- Project Manager/Lead: A dedicated project manager/lead based at Women's Health in the South East (WHISE) will oversee project execution, support governance structures, and facilitate the implementation of key deliverables. This role includes designing and delivering certain components such as training/capacity building. WHISE will also support program evaluation and theory of change development using existing resources, possibly supplemented by external partners/contractors for additional support.
- Governance Committee/Steering Committee: Comprising key leadership from TAFE, including educators, representatives from the local Manufacturing Peak organization (SEMMA), WHISE, two female TAFE students enrolled in manufacturing apprenticeships (one at the beginning and one in the final years), a representative from a local employer, and an Australian Apprenticeship Support Provider (AASN). Participation in this committee will be remunerated for lived experience delegates, employers, and if required, the AASN.
- Capacity Building within Chisholm TAFE: WHISE will build the capacity and capability of a resource within Chisholm TAFE in gender equality and intersectionality. This individual will ensure sustainability of lessons learned. Remuneration for these resources will be covered by project funding to support additional work at TAFE, including engagement with key stakeholders, coordination of activities, and support for the design and delivery of project outcomes/deliverables.
- Gender Impact Assessment: WHISE, in partnership with Chisholm TAFE, will design and deliver a gender impact assessment to improve completion rates and recruitment of women in manufacturing apprenticeships, followed by an implementation plan.
- Capacity Building Programs: Up to four capacity-building training sessions on gender equality and intersectionality will be delivered (two for educators and two for industry liaison personnel). This includes 16 hours of delivery and design time, with possible remuneration for TAFE participants if required to attend or support attendance due to the nature of the workforce.
- Industry Forums: WHISE, in collaboration with SEMMA and key stakeholders, will hold and support up to three industry forums about equality in manufacturing. These forums will strengthen relationships between TAFE and the sector, enhancing the TAFE's industry liaison team and fostering discussions on gender inequality.
- Development and Promotion of Evaluation Report: WHISE will develop, produce, distribute, and promote an evaluation report based on the agreed theory of change. This report is crucial for providing evidence and research on strategies to address gender inequity in skills development.
- Establishment of Governance Committee: Starting on 8 May 2024 and meeting regularly until project completion.
- Recruitment and placement of onsite resource for Chisholm TAFE: Recruitment and commencement by 10 May 2024, continuing until project completion.
- Development and delivery of Gender Impact Assessment: Starting 30 May 2024 and finalised by the end of August 2024, followed by promotion and launch.
- Design and delivery of capacity-building programs: Scheduled from September 2024 to February 2025.
- Industry Forums: Commencing in July 2024, with subsequent forums in September 2024 and March 2025.
- Development of Theory of Change and Delivery of Evaluation Report: Evaluation activities will commence at the start of the project, with ongoing data collection throughout until completion.
Southern Metropolitan Melbourne, the manufacturing industry employs approximately 19,400 people and it is estimated that there are over 3,000 businesses involved in the manufacturing sector – a mix of small to medium enterprises (SMEs) and larger companies, reflecting the region's diverse industrial base. These businesses are engaged in various manufacturing activities, including design and precision engineering, manufacturing technology, logistics, automotive manufacturing, food and beverage production, and medical equipment and pharmaceuticals. (Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses including Entries and Exists June 2023, released 27/8/2024)
The sector not only recruits workers with skills in manufacturing, but also engineering.
On the basis of the latest national data (NCVER 2022, Total VET students and courses 2022) 495 “females” completed qualifications in the Manufacturing engineering and technology field of education (0301) out of 1430 across the State of Victoria. In addition, according to the same data, 90 ‘females’ out of 1,660 completed qualifications in the Mechanical and industrial engineering and technology field of education.
Within Southern Melbourne regional data from Jobs and Skills Australia’s Jobs and Skills Atlas states that in 2022, there were no completions in manufacturing qualifications and, for the 12 engineering qualifications that record completions (ranging from Certificate 22 to Advanced Diploma) only 2 record female completions – the Certificate 2 in Engineering (33% of completions were by females) and Certificate 3 in Engineering Trade – Fabrication Trade (9% of completions were female). The rest had no female completions.
The "Nice Work If You Can Get It" project is crucial because it addresses the persistent lack of gender equality in career pathways, particularly in male-dominated industries like manufacturing. Despite efforts to attract women to these sectors, systemic obstacles in the skills pipeline disproportionately affect women and individuals facing intersectional barriers, resulting in low completion rates and fewer successful transitions to sustainable employment.
This project aims to build sustainable capacity by identifying and enabling clear and attractive career pathways that are relevant and meaningful to current and potential students facing intersectional, including gendered, barriers. By focusing on the linchpin of the skills and workforce pipeline—Registered Training Organizations (RTOs) and TAFEs—the project seeks to catalyse a transformation in the narrative surrounding gender disparities and address the underlying drivers of inequality.
Moreover, the project supports increased accountability for workplace culture, diversity, and wellbeing in manufacturing sectors by developing the capacity of the key relationship that manufacturing employers have with their future workforce. This approach aims to build industry acceptance and mitigate organisational resistance to gender inequality.
The project's theory of change provides a framework for longer-term activities, guiding efforts toward achieving transformational gender equality in the regional manufacturing sector. Rather than simply increasing the supply of women interested in manufacturing careers, the project addresses barriers that depress the demand for gender-equal workforces in two key areas: enhancing the skill pathway to increase completions and engaging with employers to promote the employment of women.
By establishing a scalable model applicable to similar contexts, with a primary focus on strengthening the crucial link shared by many workforces across Victoria—their connection with TAFE as a workforce and skills provider—the project aims to cultivate sustainable efforts to combat and prevent gender inequality and intersectional inequities within the workforce.
In summary, this project supports the objectives of the Women and Energy in Manufacturing Funding Program by addressing systemic barriers, promoting gender equality in career pathways, and engaging key stakeholders to drive transformational change in the manufacturing sector.
