Acciona - Women In Construction

Meet Shaneiqa Dixon, a trailblazer breaking gender stereotypes at just 19! The young Anaiwan woman was among three First Nations participants to complete a pre-employment program called Women in Construction earlier this year.

The program was created by the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training (DESBT), ACCIONA, and Georgiou Group to support more women into the industry.

Over eight weeks, Shaneiqa and her fellow participants learned about all aspects of construction – from manual labour to machine operation – receiving a Certificate I in Construction upon completion of the program.

Shaneiqa said she gained a great deal from the program and knowing she had the support of local Elder, Uncle Barry Fewquandie, and Department of Treaty, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Communities and the Arts (DTATSIPCA) staff made a huge difference.

Impressed by Shaneiqa’s strong work ethic and interpersonal skills, ACCIONA offered the Coomera teen a three-year civil construction traineeship at the end of the program.

Shaneiqa not only gained valuable construction skills but also shattered stereotypes. She expressed, “Just because construction is male-dominated doesn’t mean we can’t join. Sometimes, we can do it better.”

Workforce mentor, Kirrily Gilby, said “It was a pleasure to mentor the women in the program. All six were proactive and quickly immersed themselves in the team. They were keen to have a go at a variety of activities on-site and were willing to help the workforce with their day-to-day requirements. I’m certainly proud of all six women.”

This program was made possible thanks to DESBT, ACCIONA and Georgiou Group, along with their partners Dreampath Recruitment, Major Training, MAS National and DTATSIPCA.