Women in West Gate Construction
On 8 March, staff from across VU Polytechnic and Higher Education attended an International Women’s Day (IWD) event hosted by Polytechnic partners, CPB John Holland.
Nestled among the gantries, concrete pillars and huts of the West Gate Tunnel Project “East Zone”, the team from VU were greeted as honoured guests for the event hosted by the Westgate Women in Construction. Keeping to the theme of this year’s IWD, “Break the Bias” a panel discussion was held demonstrating the many different job opportunities available to women on big build projects, including labouring, engineering, safety, industrial relations and legal positions.
While the invitation was an opportunity for staff to see the road construction up close and personal, there was also plenty of opportunity for networking and deepening our connections with the consortium.
VU attendees:
- Alison Whan, Acting General Manager, Industry and Growth
- Rhonda Alexander, General Manager College of Trades and Engineering
- Cindy Song, Apprenticeship/traineeship Support Coordinator
- Professor Zora Vrcelj, Head of Built Environment, College of Engineering & Science
- Chelsea Hart, Senior Educator, Electrical and Engineering
- Catherine Oldham, Senior Advisor, Skills and Jobs Centre
- Jo Cave, Head of Cyber and Digital Transformation Programs
- Maja Dakic, Senior Educator, Advanced Building
- Dianna Osman, Civil Construction Teacher
- Chloe Quilty, Signs and Graphics Teacher.
