Last Thursday 12th March, something pretty special happened at Bunnings Gladesville – and we couldn’t be more proud to have championed it.
Over 30 female tradies, local business owners, and industry leaders came together for our Women in Trades Networking Event, co-hosted by Carpentry Australia, Empowered Women in Trades, and Apprenticeship Support Australia. Fuelled by a delicious breakfast (courtesy of the incredible team at Bunnings) and an atmosphere buzzing with energy.
From a carpentry apprentice in her first term, to a team leader bringing her whole crew down, we saw tradies from residential, commercial and infrastructure sharing their experiences on the tools, offering advice to those just starting out, swapping contacts, and building out the community.
DeWalt brought the tools and put them in people’s hands — always a good decision. Anthem Workwear demonstrated why purpose-built workwear for women on the tools matters — because “shrink it and pink it” was never going to cut it. CiteCo and FastAid rounded out the lineup with practical, useful products every tradie can use on site, day in and day out.
At Carpentry Australia, we’re committed to building a trade that works for everyone. That means creating more spaces like this — where female tradies can connect, be seen, and be supported.
We are facing critical skills shortages, yet women currently make up just 3% of qualified tradies, according to the ABS. Australia is in the middle of a housing crisis, a construction workforce shortage, and a long-overdue conversation about who belongs on a job site. The answer, pretty clearly, is anyone who wants to be there and has the skills to back it up.
At Carpentry Australia, we’re committed to creating more of these opportunities — more events, more community, and more pathways for women to get into and stay in the trade.
A huge thank you to Bunnings Gladesville for hosting us so warmly, to our brilliant co-hosts, and to every single person who showed up.
See you at the next one.
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