Empowered Women in Trades is supporting Converge Expo in its efforts to open up opportunities for all in construction
2025 will see the inaugural Converge Expo take place on September 17–18 in Melbourne, showcasing the latest tools and technology in the municipal works, civil and commercial construction space.
It will bring together leading decision makers from these sectors to see the latest developments that are helping them build Australia’s future infrastructure.
Co-located with No-Dig Down Under, Converge will be the place to be to learn about major big build projects in Australia, asset management, zero-emission technology, road maintenance, advancements in civil construction and C-suite discussions on how to address challenges facing the sector.
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Backed by industry, one of the associations supporting Converge is Empowered Women in Trades (EWIT) – an organisation focused on supporting female and non-binary trade skilled workers and apprentices.
EWIT CEO Melinda Davis says Converge is offering a great opportunity for people working across all areas of infrastructure delivery to come together.
“Converge is being delivered in our hometown of Melbourne and when we were approached to be part of the event, it was a big yes from us,” Davis says.
“Converge means people come together from different points to eventually meet in the same spot. A big part of the EWIT ethos is: it takes a village, so the opportunity to work with the Prime Creative Media team and bring the village to one spot at an expo that includes municipal works, commercial and civil construction was something we were always going to be involved in.
“EWIT will be working with the event organisers to bring a ‘Women in Trades hub’ to life at Converge – a first of its kind for us.”
Davis says the Converge event will be a great way to reach those looking to work in trades or looking to take their next step as well as for businesses to look for opportunities to collaborate.
“The EWIT team are looking to have some great conversations around inclusive workplaces and learning how organisations are driving their internal push to have more diversity and female representation in their teams and business as we continue to strive towards our #30by30 vision,” Davis says.
“We are also keen to hear about the sustainability practices and new initiatives and ideas across the sectors relating to the transition to net zero.”
EWIT founder Hacia Atherton says Converge provides an excellent opportunity to gain an understanding of best practice across different industries and take a fresh look at how people are trained.
“We’ve been working hard on moving the needle of diversity in trade industries for a very long time, from senior management roles down to trades roles. I think it’s time for us to clear the whiteboard of what we’ve done before and give ourselves a chance to redesign what industries look like from the ground up,” Atherton says.
‘For example, there are opportunities to bring more innovative technology and AI into the industry so we can open up career pathways to those who don’t have a trade background.
“For apprenticeships we need to talk about what’s being taught in the TAFE system and change how we’re training our tradespeople by bringing in guest lecturers and applying what’s been done well in other industries but is still uncommon in our industry.
“It’s about breaking down silos and building that community.”
For more information on Converge Expo and to get your ticket, visit: convergeexpo.com.au