Toast to women in Geelong construction

HIGH achieving women in Geelong’s construction industry will be in the spotlight next week as local leaders gather to recognise and celebrate their success.

National Association for Women in Construction (NAWIC) Geelong committee will host a cocktail event on Friday, April 28 at Little Creatures Brewery, with the event open to members and non-members, and males and females with an interest in the construction industry.

The regional committee covers the Geelong region to Ballarat and formed in 2021 to improve opportunities for local women under the NAWIC umbrella, which encourages and supports women to educate themselves and work in the construction sector.

Committee member and Deakin University project manager Velina Genova said the group had helped connect her to other women in the region’s construction industry to counter the sense of being a “lone wolf” at times on male-dominated work sites.

“There was a group of girls that got together over coffee and then we realised that there was a really big gap in between what is available for women working regionally in construction and what was available up in metropolitan Melbourne,” she said.

“[The event] is really about giving back to the ladies in regional areas that work in construction, and just highlighting the opportunities for those up-and-coming students and the young professionals that come up through the ranks.”

Fellow committee member and APP Group project director Claudia Montalvo said it was a valuable networking and knowledge-sharing tool for people inside and outside of the industry.

“I feel like I have a lot to offer the young guests that are coming and learning about the industry.

“I think it’s great to have a reference or a role model to show that there’s more women in the upper levels of the tree. I think that encourages them a lot.”

NAWIC Victoria chapter president Katherine Brewis said the regional events helped participants to grow their network, exchange ideas and learn more about their industry, and had inspired students to follow a construction career.

“Our first Celebrating Regional event is an opportunity for us to acknowledge the support we have received from regional companies, projects, and workers in the last year, as well as providing a further opportunity to celebrate the opportunities currently on offer in regional Victoria,” she said.

“We’re looking forward to the evening, and meeting many more industry participants.”

Members of the public interested in buying tickets can email [email protected], while tickets are also available at NAWIC’s website.