TAFE Gippsland is not only celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8 March this year, but all the days of every year that its leaders, staff and students work together to create innovative opportunities for women and close the digital divide when it comes to gender equality.
The 2023 IWD theme is Cracking the code: Innovation for a gender equal future. So what does that mean for an organisation like TAFE Gippsland? For CEO Laura McPherson, it means taking the time to celebrate what has been achieved in this space, but also looking tackling the challenges that remain ahead.
“At TAFE Gippsland, we’re always looking for ways we can create access to high-quality training, creating a space for women to choose skill up in areas that interest them – particularly those that challenge the traditional norms,” Laura said.
“We have several female students who are challenging gender biases – following those STEM pathways and enrolling in courses that are traditionally male dominated trades. We’ll continue to encourage and support this activity by creating clear pathways and making sure they have access to the training they need to succeed.”
According to the Forbes Technology Council, innovations from a team that include at lease one women are proven to be more economically valuable and higher impact than those with only men involved. If you ask ICT Teacher Sarah Duck, TAFE Gippsland is well on the way to cracking the code when it comes to women in tech and leadership roles.
“For starters, we have a CEO who is a female, and we have me in the IT teaching role!” Sarah said.
“It’s really good that TAFE can celebrate those gender diverse roles and bring women into that space to spark new ideas and different ways of thinking, and to obvious incorporate the equality that we need in that space.”
Three lucky students also received free double passes to a special IWD event put on by Women in Gippsland at the West Gippsland Arts Centre on 9 March, featuring Australian musician Clare Bowditch as keynote speaker.
Hear more from our CEO Laura McPherson, IT Teacher Sarah Duck and second-year apprentice boilermaker Amber about their take on the 2023 IWD theme and what TAFE Gippsland is doing to help ‘crack the code’ to gender equality. Watch our #IWD2023 video below.