Under the Kane Construction SNHC pilot program a call will be made to Victorian women and girls, including the thousands who play at the State Netball and Hockey Centre at Royal Park each week, to consider a career in construction.

Half of contractor Kane Construction’s eight project staff are female, as are three of four staff from Development Victoria’s project team.

Kane Constructions has pledged to maximise the female presence on the project while encouraging subcontractors to do the same.  Plumbing company Cooke and Dowsett has jumped on board, recently appointing North Melbourne AFLW player Jasmine Garner as an apprentice to work on the site.

Women account for just 17 per cent of construction jobs, and less than 6 per cent of technical and trade roles.

The program will incorporate information sessions on pathways to a career in construction, highlight role models for young women in the industry such as Ms Garner and develop other strategies to break down barriers.

Importantly, the pilot will provide benchmark figures and allow the setting of realistic goals for future projects.

The pilot is consistent with the Victorian Government’s commitment to open more doors for Victorians in the booming construction industry. This includes the Major Projects Skills Guarantee (MPSG), which applies to all construction projects valued over $20 million.

Since 2016, the MPSG has been applied to 116 projects worth collectively over $63.6 billion, which have committed to 4 million contracted hours for an estimated 3,700 apprentices, trainees and cadets.

The State Netball and Hockey Centre upgrade began in March will cement Parkville as the home for netball and hockey in Australia.

Four outdoor netball courts have been removed to make way for six new indoor netball courts. Work on new indoor hockey fields, a creche and high-performance strength and conditioning gym will start later this year.