Women employed in the construction of the new Griffith Base Hospital are contributing valuable skills to the redevelopment, while building their careers and gaining experience.
Health Infrastructure Executive Director for Rural and Regional projects, Amanda Bock said women are working in a diverse range of roles, including project engineers, administrators, and design managers.
“The redevelopment has provided women with a fantastic opportunity to not only grow their careers but thrive in the construction industry,” Ms Bock said.
“We know growing the number of women working in construction sites contributes to building a talented, diverse, and inclusive work environment for all employees.”
The NSW Government is currently working with industry to achieve an ambitious goal to increase the number of women in construction trade and non-traditional roles, with a view towards reaching a more gender-balanced industry.
Project Engineer and Griffith local Eliza Blight said, “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to work on a large-scale construction project in my hometown. It’s an important community building and I’m very happy to work on the project and gain valuable experience.”
Ms Blight has a Master of Construction Management and an established career working on commercial construction projects. Other women employed on the project include Senior Project Engineer Erica Drummond, Site Engineer Shallmae Lao, and Design Manager, Kelsey Godwin-Smith.
Ms Bock said Health Infrastructure is committed to attracting and encouraging women to develop their careers in the construction industry, and actively supports their roles, education and future career opportunities.
“Ongoing demand for infrastructure means the construction industry provides many employment opportunities, including trade roles, engineers, surveying, traffic control, health vehicle operators, architects, and construction managers,” Ms Bock said.
The Griffith Base Hospital redevelopment will provide Griffith and the surrounding communities with modern and sustainable healthcare facilities closer to home.
The new purpose-built three-storey Clinical Services Building, which is due for completion in 2025, has been designed to support contemporary models of care and will house all major health services under one roof.