By Kaarin Gaukrodger, Director, Connexis, infrastructure training provider and business division of Te Pūkenga

Ten years on from the launch of Ultimit Women in Infrastructure, the campaign to recruit more women into infrastructure careers is going from strength to strength. 

New Zealand’s civil construction, energy, telecommunications and Three Waters companies all see the potential in recruiting more women to help them meet several skills shortages across the industry. The challenge now is to make sure those women are aware of the opportunities available in infrastructure, and how to access them.

Meeting that challenge is the primary goal of Girls with Hi-Vis® (GWHV), one of the key initiatives to come out of Ultimit, managed by Connexis in our role as infrastructure training provider and champion.

Now in its seventh year, GWHV sees infrastructure companies around the country hold events that give female secondary students hands-on experience in the skills required for different jobs within the sector. GWHV also allows female students to hear from other women already succeeding in the industry.

This year saw more than 400 students from more than 60 schools across the nation attending 26 events, hosted by 15 different infrastructure companies.

You can find out more about the pathways available to school leavers through our Gateway micro -credentials, GWHV and school events, such as SpeedMeets and the CATE conference. 

Since 2011, GWHV has been an important and impressive legacy of the Ultimit initiative, with a focus on increasing the number of women working in infrastructure and overcoming entrenched views that the sector ‘isn’t for women’.