Inviting women to choose a career in infrastructure could be the key to success for New Zealand’s pipeline of infrastructure projects, says  the sector’s leading training provider.

Connexis, training provider for infrastructure industries such as civil, energy, telecommunications and water, hosts Girls with Hi-Vis®  (GWHV) events around the country each June with the goal of attracting more women into careers in the sector and helping ease serious  skills shortages.

GWHV sees employers invite female secondary school students onsite at some of the country’s key infrastructure assets, sites, and  projects for hands-on experience of the skills and experiences on offer when training for an infrastructure trade. A key component of  Connexis training is that it’s on-the-job, with apprentices working and getting paid as they study for their qualifications.

Connexis executive director Kaarin Gaukrodger says GWHV offers a unique opportunity for “real world” experience for young women who
may not have considered the opportunities available to them as an infrastructure trade apprentice.

“Women can bring a different approach to jobs which can benefit everyone. For example, they might adapt physically demanding tasks to  find a new way of doing them. That can reduce fatigue and improve safety onsite for everyone. Other valuable skill sets they might bring  are attention to detail and good communication skills.”

As well as showcasing the skills and offering the potential to work in some amazing locations, GWHV introduces the students to potential  employers and other women already working in the industry who share their own experiences and the career pathways that can open up  through workbased learning and apprenticeship training.

“They see first-hand how the work they’re doing benefits their own local communities as well as the whole country,” Gaukrodger says.  “With 43 of the Government Fast Track projects announced last year designated as infrastructure, it is an exciting time to be starting a  career in these trades. There is the potential to be working on projects that will have a huge impact on the country.”

While onsite at one of the 30 events being held around New Zealand in major infrastructure sites such as wind farms, hydro power  stations, highway construction projects and water treatment plants, several hundred students will don hi-vis gear to try tasks such as  installing a water meter, working in confined spaces, driving diggers and trucks, climbing power poles, and jointing cables.