Women make up just 23 per cent of the manufacturing workforce in Australia. At Chisholm Institute in Melbourne’s south-east, staff saw that women were also underrepresented in their engineering and manufacturing courses.
To change this, Chisholm partnered with Women’s Health in the South East (WHISE) and the South East Melbourne Manufacturers Alliance (SEMMA) through the Nice Work If You Can Get It project.
With funding from the Victorian Government’s Women in Manufacturing and Energy program, they carried out a gender impact assessment (GIA). The goal was to improve how women enter, stay and succeed in manufacturing education.
Why it matters
Manufacturing is still one of the most gender-segregated industries in Australia. The Nice Work If You Can Get It project shows how change is possible when education, industry and community work together to fix inequality at the systems level.
Finding the barriers
The project started with a close look at enrolment and retention numbers. Women made up just 3.8 per cent to 12.1 per cent of students in these programs. Women were also more likely to leave before finishing the course. In 2024, the dropout rate was 16 per cent for women compared to 11 per cent for men.
Staff from engineering and manufacturing joined four workshops to explore the issues. Together, they looked at gender bias, workplace culture, and how the system could be more inclusive. They identified key barriers, including:
- unwelcoming learning environments
- harassment or exclusion
- low awareness of manufacturing as a career
- poor workplace culture during placements
- lack of support, mentors and flexible work options.
Making change across culture and systems
The project partners developed a clear plan to fix these problems. Actions included:
- starting open conversations about gender
- adding respectful relationships and soft skills to the curriculum
- naming Gender Equality Representatives in each team
- discussing gender equality regularly in staff meetings
- improving how staff and students report issues
- creating peer support and mentoring for women
- working with SEMMA to run industry-focused training.
These actions were rolled out in four stages. They began with leadership commitment and training and finished with review and improvement. The aim is to make long-term, lasting change.
Building on earlier work
The GIA added to work already happening in Chisholm’s Engineering department. That work focused on respectful behaviour, inclusion and professional standards. The GIA helped scale this across more teams. Gender equality is now becoming part of the way Chisholm teaches, trains and plans.
What Chisholm is trying to achieve
Chisholm wants to create classrooms and workplaces where more women feel welcome, supported and able to succeed. The work also helps address skills shortages and shows leadership in gender equality. It supports national goals to build safer and fairer workplaces.
Lessons for other organisations
Use your data
It helps you see what’s working and what needs to change.
Talk with staff
Workshops helped everyone take part and share ideas.
Start small
Simple steps like better signage or mentoring can shift culture.
Partners with others
WHISE and SEMMA brought experience and support.
Make it routine
Keep gender equality on the agenda in everyday work.
Next step
Think about how a gender impact assessment could help your organisation find hidden barriers and build more inclusive pathways – especially in male-dominated jobs or courses.
Download our GIA guide and template.
Read how Chisholm tackles gender gap in manufacturing report.
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