About Us

Since the founding of Tradeswomen Australia Group in 2019, we’ve been working hard to increase female representation in Australia’s trade industry workforce. While the challenge is considerable, with many barriers in place, we’re getting closer every day thanks to the help of our community partners, our qualified employers and supporters. If we work together, we believe all women from all backgrounds can succeed in trades careers.

Tradeswomen Australia is committed to building supportive workplaces and influencing national policy change to reduce systemic barriers that block success for women in trades.

Supporting women to succeed in trade roles creates transformative life and community impacts. Secure, skilled, and financially rewarding careers lift women – and their families – out of economic vulnerability. When women thrive in skilled trades, they also become strong role models who inspire the next generation and help dismantle the false perception that trades are “not for women”​.

1:  Leading for systemic change

We influence the systems, policies, and national conversations that shape women’s opportunities in trades.

By leading for systemic change, we ensure that gender equity becomes embedded across the entire industry, if nothing changes nothing changes. We ground our leadership in evidence, co-design and lived experience, ensuring data, research and women’s voices drive the solutions for lasting change.

Every change we advocate for impacts the future of women in trades, strengthening industries and the communities they serve.

2: Building supportive workplaces

We work with employers and industries to ensure that women entering trades can thrive in safe, respectful, and inclusive environments.

Building supportive workplaces is critical not only for women’s success but also for the long-term sustainability of the trades sector.

Every workplace we support becomes safer, fairer, and more capable of retaining the talent our industries urgently need.

3: Enabling tradeswomen

We support women who have chosen a career in skilled trades to thrive. Retention is at the heart of this work — every woman who completes her apprenticeship strengthens the workforce, becomes a role model, and helps break the cycle of exclusion.

While industry and workplaces strive to become safe and inclusive for women, the current generation of female apprentices and tradies require affirmative support and positive action to navigate everyday barriers.

Every woman that is retained in skilled trades becomes a role model for the next generation.

Respect: We value all people and their intersectional diversity – from different values, backgrounds, experiences, and ways of thinking.

Integrity: We will act in a fair, transparent, honest and ethical way.

Equality: We believe in equitable access to resources and opportunities for all individuals, regardless of gender. We strive for equality by addressing power, privilege and prejudice.

Courage: We show courage through curiosity and collaboration – embracing learning, innovation, and uncertainty to create opportunities for systemic change.

Relationship: We build intentional partnerships grounded in shared values – leveraging our collective resources, diversity, and strengths to create lasting, systemic change.

Tradeswomen Australia Group (TWAG) brings together Tradeswomen Australia Foundation (TWAF), a not-for-profit social enterprise, and the Tradeswomen Australia Community Foundation (TWACF), a registered charity with DGR status. Together, we create inclusive workplaces in the trades and support women into secure, rewarding careers and advocate for industry wide systemic change.

• TWAF partners with government, industry and employers to drive systemic change and increase women’s representation and retention.
• TWACF focuses on women experiencing disadvantage, engaging with communities, schools, and support organisations.
• Both entities share one CEO, staff, and resources across strategy, operations, and partnerships.
• The TWAG Board governs both entities, with TWAF as the sole member of TWACF.

TWAG’s role is to connect what we deliver in workplaces with what we advocate for in policy, reinvesting service delivery income into systemic reform and supporting tradeswomen facing disadvantage.