Senator Michaelia Cash, Minister for Small and Family Business, Minister for Training at program launch

This month the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) will be launching the ‘Women in Electrical Trades Roadmap’.

The Women in Electrical Trades Roadmap is a national initiative supported by the Australian Federal government aimed at increasing recruitment and retention of women in the electrical trades. This initiative was developed in consultation with employers, apprentices, registered training organisations (RTOs) and government training organisation (GTOs).

“Increasing the number of women in the trades is a complex issue, but not unresolvable,” says NECA chief executive Suresh Manickam.

“Unfortunately, parents and young women do not have a good understanding of the electrical trades. This leads to a poor perception of the electrical trades among parents – this is something that we all need to change.

“In order to address the shortage of women in the trade, we seek partnerships with governments so we can tap into 50% of the population. After all, it is governments that have the access to courses, education and schools. NECA can then provide the subject matter expertise and industry pathways.”