Women on site: a new generation of female builders

It’s not uncommon to see women working on building sites in the region but it is less common to see a woman running a site.

In Victoria, the construction industry workforce is made up of about 11 percent women.

However, Hamlan’s bucking that trend, with an equal split of male and female employees across the organisation. And that starts right from the very top, with the chief executive officer and chief financial officer, both of whom are women.

Hamlan is also an official sponsor of Geelong Women in Trades – a grassroots network of women and girls who work in
trades and promote trades as a realistic and viable career option for women of all ages.

Hannah Butler is one of Hamlan’s rising talents. She has a double degree in architecture and construction from Deakin University and started out as an estimator but soon proved herself a valuable talent in drafting and project coordinating.

She’s a great example of what a rewarding career in the building industry can offer young women.

Hannah comes from a family that has a long history in the construction industry and says that despite initially being interested in design, she felt drawn to the construction industry.

“I’ve always enjoying pulling things apart and putting them back together, it was in my last year of uni that I started working at Hamlan as an estimator.”

Hannah says Hamlan has given her flexible opportunities to work in estimating and drafting, and this year for the first time she started project coordinating at Hamlan’s high-profile Frank Street project in Newtown.

“It’s far more rewarding being out on site than being back in the office; I love the excitement of being out and about and making decisions on the spot and seeing how things all come together.

“I like being able to see all the little details that you just don’t get to see when you’re in the office.”

As well as looking after their own, Hamlan is a proud supporter of gender equality within the industry’s greater workforce.

Hamlan has thrown its support behind local initiatives such as Geelong Women in Trades (GWIT).

This group is taking the lead on promoting women and girls in trades and encouraging female mentorship of girls in trades.

The group is made up of female apprentices and tradespeople, and local industry representatives who act as mentors and leaders.

Recently, Hamlan helped the group head to Siem Reap in Cambodia for a skills exchange. Alongside local Cambodian builders, GWIT members, made up of female carpenters, mechanics, cabinet makers, painters and electricians, built a house for a disadvantaged rural family.

According to one of its founders Leesa Hanlon, this is the first of many national and international skills exchange programs GWIT hope to organise.

Leesa works with many young apprentices and students in her role as Team Leader of the Geelong Technical Education Centre at The Gordon Tafe Geelong.

She says GWIT was formed after she and co-founder Fiona Lawrie (who also founded Tradeswomen Australia Foundation) identified a lack of support for young women entering apprenticeships and the trades.

“GWIT came about because I could see these girls enter the industry with no support, they don’t get to see each other and they don’t get to talk to other girls who have also started an apprenticeship,” Leesa says.

“We are facing a massive trade shortage and I’m not saying women are the solution but they are certainly part of the equation.”