On the 8th March every year, the world celebrates all of the wonderful women that live within it. This is International Women’s Day: a globally recognized day with gender equality at its core. It has been celebrated for over 100 years.
Despite an increased focus in recent years, the energy industry has struggled to attract more women. While the number of women entering leadership roles in these industries has steadily increased, there is still significant work to be done to encourage more females into male-dominated roles.
Today we mark International Women’s Day by celebrating four EnerMech personnel who work across the electrical and instrumentation divisions in Australia. Kellie Lindsay, Crystal Jolly, Xiao Lin and Katey Dianock all of whom have had very different routes into the industry.
Crystal Jolly, a second-year apprentice with EnerMech found it challenging to enter the sector and worked in landscaping and civil roles to build up her experience before starting her electrical apprenticeship in January 2021. Crystal said:
“I really enjoy the challenge of my apprenticeship and I’m always growing my skill-set through practical experience combined with my studies. It would be great to see more women enter the industry and I think we need to promote the wide variety of roles available in construction within schools. If younger women can see the opportunities that are accessible to them, this would be a positive first step.”
Kellie Lindsay, a qualified electrician with over 20 years’ experience, joined EnerMech in 2018 after completing a pre-apprenticeship programme. She explained:
“In my role, I love that no two days are the same and I’m constantly learning. The job offers so many great benefits like rostered days off so I can be flexible around family commitments, which is an advantage that many office-based roles cannot offer.”
“While it was daunting to enter a male-dominated industry, there is no difference between myself and my male counterparts, we’re all just one team here at EnerMech.”
Trade assistant Xiao Lin highlighted the importance of women pro-actively pushing for new opportunities. Starting as a cleaner with EnerMech, Xiao expressed her interest in becoming a trade assistant and after securing the necessary work tickets, she is now a key member of the WestConnex M4-M5 link team. She explained:
“EnerMech has really allowed me to thrive in my current position. I think more women would be interested in entering male-dominated sectors if societal norms, particularly around childcare, were challenged to allow more females to seek careers in the these industries.”
HSE advisor Katey Dianock has worked in the construction industry for ten years after entering as an operator and labourer. Through her various roles, she found a passion for safety and has held her current role since October 2020. Katey is enthusiastic about encouraging more women into the sector, explaining:
“If more companies worked closely with industry bodies such as Women in Construction to hold open days, this would really help improve female participation and grow the female workforce.”