Skills for women tradies in regional Australia: A global future

To date, there has been little examination of those who complete training in male-dominated sectors and continue to work in these sectors within regional Australia. Therefore, in this preliminary qualitative study, we examine the attraction and retention issues of women entering male-dominated trades within regional [New South Wales NSW. This paper reports on findings from our initial industry consultation sessions of 35 participants within regional areas of NSW. Findings highlight retention issues such as workplace cultures, spotlighting, expecting women to fit into dysfunctional cultures and lack of career pathways. While these are preliminary findings and generalizations cannot be made for all regional areas, implications for practice and future research are discussed.