The Building Women’s Careers Program is driving systemic structural and cultural change.
About the Building Women’s Careers Program
The Australian Government is investing $60.6 million in the Building Women’s Careers (BWC) Program to drive systemic structural and cultural change in training and work environments.
The BWC Program will fund both large-scale partnership projects, and smaller, place-based partnerships, to advance structural and cultural change to improve women’s access to flexible, safe and inclusive training and work opportunities in the key male-dominated industries and sectors of construction, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and digital and technology.
Partnership Projects
The Building Women’s Careers Program is bringing together industry, employers, registered unions, training organisations and the community to deliver a suite of projects ranging from allyship programs that encourage industry-wide male advocacy for women, to rolling out flexible, national workplace policies benefiting all employees.
The BWC Program includes $54.5 million delivered through grant funding for these partnership projects.
Stream One Industry-led Partnership Projects
| Industry | Project Name | Lead Organisation | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Energy, Construction, Digital and Technology | Breaking Barriers: Women in Trades and Tech | Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union | National |
| Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Energy, Construction | Together We R.I.S.E. | National Apprentice Employment Network | National |
| Clean Energy | Powering Women into Clean Energy Apprenticeships | Future Energy Skills Ltd | VIC, TAS |
| Clean Energy, Construction | Big Sister: Advanced Mentoring SA/WA | Electrical Trades Union | WA, SA |
| Construction | Allyship in Action: Transforming Culture to Attract and Retain Women | National Association of Women in Construction | National |
| Construction, Clean Energy | Building Futures: Breaking the Barriers for Women in the Plumbing Industry | Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre (PICAC) | VIC, QLD, NSW |
| Construction | Level the Site | Master Builders Australia Limited | National |
| Construction | Women in Construction | Incolink | NSW, VIC, TAS, SA |
| Digital and Technology | Cyber5050 – Breaking Barriers for Gender Equality in Cyber Security | CyberCX Pty Ltd | National |
| Digital and Technology, Advanced Manufacturing | FemTech - Building Women’s Careers as Digital & Tech Professionals | The Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers Australia (Professionals Australia) | VIC, QLD, NSW |
Stream Two community-led Partnership Projects
| Industry | Project name | Lead Organisation | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | Building Women: Breaking Barriers for a Diverse SA Construction Workforce | Building Women Ltd | SA |
| Digital and Technology | STEMpower CyberThrive: Rewriting the rules in male-dominated tech | Women In Technology WA (Inc.) | WA |
| Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Energy, Construction, Digital and Technology | EmpowerHer Pathways: See what you can be | Network for Educational Workplacements | NSW, Hunter Region |
| Advanced Manufacturing | ManufactHER; Empowering Women, Transforming Advanced Manufacturing | Central Coast Group Training Limited | NSW, Central Coast Region |
| Clean Energy | Powering Her Pathways | Tradeswomen Australia Foundation Ltd | VIC, Gippsland Region |
| Construction | Indigenous women in construction across Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. | Mimal Land Management Aboriginal Corporation | NT, QLD, Darwin and Alice Springs, Gladstone Region |
| Construction, Clean Energy, Advanced Manufacturing, Digital and Technology | Rise & Build: Empowering Women's Careers | Griffith Skills Training Centre (GSTC) | NSW, Riverina Murray Region |
| Construction, Clean Energy | Great South Coast Construction Careers for Women Program | South West TAFE | VIC, South-West Coast Region |
| Construction | SeeHER | Master Builders' Association of Tasmania Inc. | TAS |
| Digital and Technology | The Next Wave: Women’s Tech Transitions | Technology Council of Australia Limited | NSW, ACT |
Women in Male-Dominated Trades Grants Program
Funding from the Women in Male-Dominated Trades Grants Program has been reallocated to the BWC Program.
This brings clear benefits, given the synergies between the 2 programs and the overall increase in funding now available through the BWC Program.
Government priorities and programs
The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations consulted with stakeholders in July and August 2024 to inform the design of the guidelines to implement the program, which complements other government priorities and programs, including:
- National Skills Agreement
- Australian Skills Guarantee
- Employment White Paper
- Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce Report
- Working for Women: A Strategy for Gender Equality
More information
- Backing women in the Riverina Murray region to rise and build – The Hon Andrew Giles MP and Senator Raff Ciccone – 14 October 2025
- Powering Her Pathways set to boost women's participation in Gippsland's clean energy workforce – The Hon Andrew Giles MP and Senator Raff Ciccone – 23 September 2025
- Empowering women in advanced manufacturing across the Central Coast – The Hon Andrew Giles MP and The Hon Emma McBride MP – 16 September 2025
- Building women’s careers and Australia’s future through community-driven projects – Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher and the Hon Andrew Giles MP – 12 March 2025
- Albanese Government investing in women to build Australia’s future – Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher and the Hon Andrew Giles MP – 3 March 2025
- Driving structural and cultural change to build women’s careers – Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher and the Hon Andrew Giles MP – 28 October 2024
- Investing in skills and training to support a Future Made in Australia – The Hon Brendan O'Connor MP – Media Release 14 May 2024.
- A Budget that works for women – Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher – Media Release 14 May 2024.
Contacts and feedback
- For more information about BWC Program partnership projects please contact DEWR at buildingwomenscareers@dewr.gov.au.
- If you have queries regarding the BWC Program grant process, administration and management, please contact the Business Grants Hub at the Department of Industry, Science and Resources on 13 28 46, by web chat, or through the online enquiry form at the business.gov.au website.
Complaints about the Building Women’s Careers Program
If you have a complaint about the BWC Program you are invited to send your complaint to complaints@dewr.gov.au
DEWR has mechanisms in place for receiving complaints on programs which is integral to an ongoing continuous improvement process. Before making a complaint, please read the Complaints factsheet.
Please note that any complaints about the BWC Program received through other avenues will be redirected to complaints@dewr.gov.au in the first instance.
Complaints about a specific partnership project
If you have a complaint about a specific partnership project you are invited to send your complaint directly to the relevant project lead organisation. A list of project lead organisations is shown at dewr.gov.au/building-womens-careers-program.
The project lead is the grantee who holds the contract with the Commonwealth and is accountable for the delivery of the project, including memorandums of understanding and contracts with project partners and contractors or sub-contractors.
Each project lead will have their own complaint handling process which will be followed when responding to your complaint.
If you do not receive a satisfactory response to your complaint from the project lead, you are invited to send details to complaints@dewr.gov.au (see above).
Please note that any complaints about the partnership projects received through other avenues will be redirected to the project lead in the first instance.